{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-archive-page-jsx","path":"/archive/59/","result":{"pageContext":{"strings":{"about":"About","additional_articles":"Additional Articles","administration":"Administration","africa":"Africa","all_bahaiorg_sites":"All Bahai.org Sites","all_sites":"All sites","all_sites_arising_serve":"Arising to Serve","all_sites_arising_serve_caption":"A film recounting highlights of the 41 regional Bahá’í conferences called by the Universal House of Justice in 2008","all_sites_bahai_org":"The official website of the worldwide Bahá’í community","all_sites_bahai_org_library":"Bahá’í Reference Library","all_sites_bahai_org_library_caption":"The authoritative online source of Bahá’í writings","all_sites_bahaullah_org":"The Life of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_bahaullah_org_caption":"A photographic narrative of the life of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_bic":"Bahá’í International Community Representative Offices","all_sites_bic_caption":"The official website of the Bahá’í International Community’s Representative Offices. The site contains news and information about recent activity and provides access to BIC statements, reports, and other publications","all_sites_bicentenary":"Bicentenary of the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_bicentenary_bab":"Bicentenary of the Birth of The Báb","all_sites_bicentenary_caption":"The official international website for the bicentenary of the birth of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_frontiers_learning":"Frontiers of Learning","all_sites_frontiers_learning_caption":"This film captures the insights and experiences of people from four communities across the world whose efforts to build vibrant communities are at the frontiers of learning","all_sites_light_to_the_world":"Light to the World","all_sites_light_to_the_world_caption":"A feature film about the life and teachings of Bahá’u’lláh","all_sites_media_bank":"Bahá’í Media Bank","all_sites_media_bank_caption":"Photographs available for downloading","all_sites_national_communities":"National Bahá’í Communities","all_sites_national_communities_caption":"A page containing links to the websites of many national Bahá’í communities from around the world","all_sites_news_bahai_org_caption":"The official news website of the worldwide Bahá’í community","all_sites_title":"Official Bahá’í Sites","all_sites_universalhouseofjustice_org":"The Universal House of Justice","all_sites_universalhouseofjustice_org_caption":"Information about the Universal House of Justice and selected statements and letters","all_sites_widening_embrace":"A Widening Embrace","all_sites_widening_embrace_caption":"A documentary film about the community-building efforts of the Bahá’í world","americas":"Americas","android":"Android","archive_results_to_of_a":"Results","archive_results_to_of_b":"to","archive_results_to_of_c":"of","asia":"Asia","back_to_story":"Back to Story","bahai_international_community":"Bahá'í International Community","bahai_media_bank":"Bahá’í Media Bank","bahai_reference_library":"Bahá’í Reference Library","bahai_world_centre":"Bahá’í World Centre","bahai_world_news_service":"Bahá’í World News Service","bahai_world_news_service_bwns":"Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","bahaiorg_home":"Bahai.org Home","bahais_semnan":"The Bahá’ís of Semnan","battambang_cambodia_house_worship":"House of Worship in Battambang, Cambodia","battambang_cambodia_temple":"Battambang, Cambodia Temple Inauguration","before_downloading_terms":"Before downloading please refer to the [Terms of use](/legal/).","bic_un_office":"Bahá’í International Community\nUN Office","brief_history":"Brief history","bwns_noTranslation":"BWNS","cdn_documentlibrary_path":"http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/","cdn_images_path":"//bwns.imgix.net/","chile_house_worship":"Chile House of Worship","chile_temple":"Chile Temple Inauguration","close":"Close","closed_doors_denial_education_iran":"Closed Doors: Denial of Education in Iran","comma":",","comprehensive_report":"Comprehensive report","contact":"Contact","contact_h1":"Contacting the Bahá’í World News Service","contact_h2":"Contacting Bahá’í institutions","contact_h3":"Reporting technical problems","contact_information":"Contact Information","contact_p1":"General inquiries about BWNS can be directed to [news@bahai.org](mailto:news@bahai.org). Information regarding news and media contacts is available in the [Media Information](/media-information/) section.","contact_p2":"The Bahá’í Faith is established in more than 100,000 localities in virtually every country and territory around the world. At the national level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are guided by National Spiritual Assemblies, and a list of websites for many national Bahá’í communities can be found at the [National Communities page](https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/) on Bahai.org.","contact_p3":"To report a technical problem with this site, please send a detailed description and screenshot of the issue, along with the address of the page where it occurred, to [webmaster@bahai.org](mailto:webmaster@bahai.org). Please note that this email address exists to receive reports of technical problems with the site and it is not possible to respond to other queries through this facility.","copy_link":"Copy Link","did_not_match_any_documents_showing_results_for":"did not match any documents. Showing results for","did_you_mean":"Did you mean:","download":"Download","download_highest_resolution":"Download highest resolution","email":"Email","email_address":"Email Address","enlarge":"Enlarge","error_page":"Error Occurred","error_page_p1":"Sorry. An error has occurred with your request. It would help us if you let us know what you were trying to do when this error occurred by using our [contact form](https://www.bahai.org/contact/).","europe":"Europe","featured_stories":"Featured stories","featured_videos":"Featured videos","follow_updates_via_instagram_twitter":"Follow the Bahá’í World News Service on Twitter and Instagram for regular updates and stories","from_bwns_archive":"From the Bahá’í World News Service archive","get_notified_stories":"Get notified of stories","highest_resolution":"Highest resolution","historical_photographs":"Historical photographs","homepage_feature_audio_h2":"Recent podcast episodes","homepage_feature_audio_h3":"Audio versions of stories","homepage_feature_audio_p1":"Selected audio content from around the globe","homepage_feature_h1":"Subscribe to BWNS Updates","houses_worship":"Houses of Worship","human_rights_iran":"Human Rights in Iran","images":"images","ios":"iOS","iran_news_stories":"Iran News Stories","key_terms_facts":"Key terms and facts","latest_headlines":"Latest headlines","latest_video_category":"Latest","legal":"Legal","legal_h1":"Privacy","legal_h2":"Terms of Use","legal_information":"Legal Information","legal_li_1":"They must at all times be attributed to the Bahá’í World News Service.","legal_li_2":"Photographs and stories cannot be used in any way (including, without limitation, suggesting an association with or endorsement of any product, service, opinion or cause) that conflicts with the intent and premise of the original source.","legal_li_3":"Photographs may be edited for size only. Captions must remain with the photographs at all times.","legal_li_4":"The Bahá’í World News Service will not be responsible to any person or organization for any liability for any direct, incidental,  consequential, indirect, or punitive damages that may result from any access to or use of the stories and/or photographs on our site.","legal_li_5":"Although this blanket permission to reproduce BWNS material is given freely such that no special permission is required, the Bahá’í World News Service retains full copyright protection for its stories and photographs under all applicable national and international laws.","legal_p1_1":"On this Web site we try to ensure your privacy. We collect only personal information provided by you on a voluntary basis, in order to respond to your queries and to send you any additional information and material that you request.","legal_p1_2":"Visitors to this Web site are not tracked, except to produce aggregate statistical data that does not identify individual users. Where we must use cookies to provide essential functionality, these are not used to track your use of the site or to store personally-identifiable information. Steps have been taken to ensure that all information collected from you will remain secure, free from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. Please keep in mind that if you leave this site via a link, the other site may have a different policy regarding privacy.","legal_p1_3a":"We occasionally update this privacy policy and encourage you to review it periodically. If you wish to correct your personal information, or have questions regarding this policy, please send an email message to","legal_p1_3b":"or call the Bahá’í World News Service at +972 (4) 835-8412, between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. GMT +2, Sunday through Thursday.","legal_p2_1":"All stories and photographs produced by the Bahá’í World News Service may be freely reprinted, e-mailed, posted to the World Wide Web and otherwise reproduced by any individual or organization, subject to the following restrictions:","legal_p2_2":"The Bahá’í World News Service is an agency of the Bahá’í International Community, a nongovernmental organization that represents and encompasses the five million members of the Bahá’í Faith.","links_other_websites":"Links to other Web sites","listen":"Listen","listen_bwns":"Listen to BWNS","load_more_results":"Load more results","media_bank":"Media Bank","media_information":"Media Information","media_information_about_bwns":"About BWNS","media_information_administration_h2":"International","media_information_administration_h3":"National","media_information_administration_h4":"Local","media_information_administration_p1":"The Bahá’í Faith is administered by a series of elected bodies at the local, national, and international levels. There is no class of ecclesiastics or clergy.","media_information_administration_p2":"The Universal House of Justice is the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith. It is the supreme administrative body ordained by Bahá’u’lláh in His book of laws. The Universal House of Justice is elected every five years at the International Bahá’í Convention, where members of the National Spiritual Assemblies (see below) around the world serve as delegates. The Universal House of Justice was first elected in 1963. Its permanent seat is on Mount Carmel in Haifa.","media_information_administration_p3":"At the national level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are administered by the National Spiritual Assembly, a nine-member elected council responsible for guiding, co-ordinating, and stimulating the activities of Local Spiritual Assemblies and individual members of the Bahá’í community within a given country. The responsibilities of a National Spiritual Assembly include channelling the community’s financial resources, fostering the growth and vibrancy of the national Bahá’í community, supervising the affairs of the community including its social and economic development activities and its properties, overseeing relations with government, resolving questions from individuals and Local Spiritual Assemblies, and strengthening the participation of the Bahá’í community in the life of society at the national level.","media_information_administration_p4":"At the local level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are administered by the Local Spiritual Assembly. Each Local Assembly consists of nine members who are chosen in annual elections. As with all other elected Bahá’í institutions, the Assembly functions as a body and makes decisions through consultation. The responsibilities of the Local Spiritual Assembly include promoting the spiritual education of children and young people, strengthening the spiritual and social fabric of Bahá’í community life, assessing and utilizing the community’s resources, and ensuring that the energies and talents of community members contribute towards progress.","media_information_administration_p5":"In addition, the Bahá’í Faith has **counsellors**, appointed to five-year terms by the Universal House of Justice, who serve as advisers in countries and regions around the world. Currently there are 90 such counsellors assigned to specific countries or regions, and an additional nine counsellors who constitute the membership of the International Teaching Centre at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa.","media_information_administration_p6":"The Bahá’í International Community is a non-governmental organization that represents the worldwide Bahá’í community. It has been registered with the United Nations (UN) as a non-governmental organization since 1948. It currently has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), as well as accreditation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). The Bahá’í International Community collaborates with the UN and its specialized agencies, as well as member states, inter- and non-governmental organizations, academia, and practitioners. It has Representative Offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, Jakarta, and New York.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_li_4_a":"the Seat of the Universal House of Justice,","media_information_bahai_world_centre_li_4_b":"the International Teaching Centre,","media_information_bahai_world_centre_li_4_c":"the Centre for the Study of the Texts,","media_information_bahai_world_centre_li_4_d":"the International Archives Building.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p1":"The spiritual and administrative center of the Bahá’í Faith is permanently established in the Acre-Haifa area of northern Israel, following the explicit instructions of Bahá’u’lláh.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p2":"The burial place, or shrine, of Bahá’u’lláh near Acre and that of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa are the holiest spots on earth for Bahá’ís. Other sites associated with the life of Bahá’u’lláh as well as the burial site of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are revered by Bahá’ís as holy places.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p3":"The shrines are the object of pilgrimage for thousands of Bahá’ís each year.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p4":"The administrative offices are positioned in an Arc across Mount Carmel in Haifa and include:","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p5":"Also in Haifa are the Bahá’í International Community’s Secretariat and Office of Public Information.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p6":"The Bahá’í World Centre is known for the gardens surrounding the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh near Acre, and also for the gardens and terraces surrounding the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb on Mount Carmel in Haifa.","media_information_bahai_world_centre_p7":"At this time the Shrine of the Báb is open to the public.","media_information_brief_history_p1":"The Bahá’í Faith traces its origin to 1844 and the announcement by a young man, Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad, in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran), that He had been sent by God to prepare humanity for a new age and the imminent appearance of another Messenger even greater than Himself.","media_information_brief_history_p10":"During the 40 years of His exile, Bahá’u’lláh revealed a series of books, tablets, and letters that today form the core of the **holy writings of the Bahá’í Faith**. Comprising the equivalent of some 100 volumes, the writings of Bahá’u’lláh describe the nature of God and the purpose of human existence, give new religious laws, and outline a vision for creating a peaceful and prosperous global society.","media_information_brief_history_p11":"In His will, Bahá’u’lláh named His eldest son, ‘Abbás Effendi (1844-1921), as the head of the Bahá’í Faith and authorized interpreter of His teachings. ‘Abbás Effendi, known to Bahá’ís as ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (“Servant of Bahá”), became well-known in the Haifa/Acre area for his charitable works, and he also traveled through Europe and North America to encourage nascent Bahá’í communities and to proclaim Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings to the general public. The writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá are considered part of the sacred scriptures of the Bahá’í Faith.","media_information_brief_history_p12":"‘Abdu’l-Bahá passed away in 1921. In his will he had designated his grandson **Shoghi Effendi** (1897-1957) as his successor, with the title of **Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith**. During the ministry of Shoghi Effendi, the religion spread around the world, and its local and national administrative institutions were established. With the passing of Shoghi Effendi in 1957, the line of hereditary leaders of the Bahá’í Faith came to an end.","media_information_brief_history_p13":"Following provisions established by Bahá’u’lláh, in 1963 the **Universal House of Justice** was elected to direct the affairs of the worldwide Bahá’í community. The nine members of the Universal House of Justice are elected every five years by the members of the Bahá’í national administrative bodies around the world.","media_information_brief_history_p2":"Siyyid ‘Alí-Muhammad took the title of the **Báb** (meaning “Gate” in Arabic) and said the one whose coming He foretold would be the universal Manifestation of God sent to inaugurate an age of peace and enlightenment as promised in all the world’s religions.","media_information_brief_history_p3":"The Báb’s teachings, which spread rapidly, were viewed as heretical by the clergy and government of Persia. More than 20,000 of His followers, known as Bábís, perished in a series of massacres throughout the country.","media_information_brief_history_p4":"The Báb Himself was publicly executed in the city of Tabriz on 9 July 1850.","media_information_brief_history_p5":"Bahá’ís consider the Báb to be both an independent Messenger of God and the forerunner of **Bahá’u’lláh** (“the Glory of God” in Arabic), who is the founder of the Bahá’í Faith.","media_information_brief_history_p6":"Bahá’u’lláh, whose name was Mírzá Husayn ‘Alí, was born into a noble family in Tehran on 12 November 1817. In His mid-20s, He declined a life of privilege and became one of the leading disciples of the Báb.","media_information_brief_history_p7":"In 1852, in the course of the persecution of the Bábís, He was arrested, beaten, and thrown into an infamous dungeon in Tehran. After four months, He was released and banished from His native land – the beginning of 40 years of exile and imprisonment.","media_information_brief_history_p8":"He was first sent to Baghdad, where He and His companions stayed for 10 years. In 1863, on the eve of His further banishment to what is now Turkey and then to the Holy Land, Bahá’u’lláh announced that He was the Universal Messenger of God foretold by the Báb.","media_information_brief_history_p9":"In 1868, Bahá’u’lláh arrived in the Holy Land with about 70 family members and followers, sentenced by the Ottoman authorities to perpetual confinement in the penal colony of Acre. The order of confinement was never lifted, but because of the growing recognition of His outstanding character, He eventually was able to move outside the walls of the prison city. He lived His final years at a country home called Bahjí, where He passed away in 1892. He was interred there, and His shrine is the holiest place on earth for Bahá’ís.","media_information_description":"Contacts, facts, style guide,\ngeneral information, and photos","media_information_h1":"National and local","media_information_h2":"International","media_information_h2_a":"Bahá’í World News Service","media_information_h2_b":"Bahá’í International Community","media_information_h2_c":"Bahá’í International Community - United Nations Offices:","media_information_h2_e":"For languages other than English:","media_information_houses_worship_li_1":"Wilmette, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1953.","media_information_houses_worship_li_2":"Kampala, Uganda. Opened in 1961.","media_information_houses_worship_li_3":"Sydney, Australia. Opened in 1961.","media_information_houses_worship_li_4":"Frankfurt, Germany. Opened in 1964.","media_information_houses_worship_li_5":"Panama City, Panama. Opened in 1972.","media_information_houses_worship_li_6":"Apia, Samoa. Opened in 1984.","media_information_houses_worship_li_7":"New Delhi, India. Opened in 1986.","media_information_houses_worship_li_8":"Santiago, Chile. Opened in 2016.","media_information_houses_worship_li_9":"Battambang, Cambodia. Opened in 2017.","media_information_houses_worship_li_10":"Norte del Cauca, Colombia. Opened in 2018.","media_information_houses_worship_li_11":"Matunda Soy, Kenya. Opened in 2021.","media_information_houses_worship_li_12":"Tanna, Vanuatu. Opened in 2021.","media_information_houses_worship_li_13":"Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Opened in 2023.","media_information_houses_worship_li_14":"Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Opened in 2024.","media_information_houses_worship_p1":"Bahá’u’lláh designated Bahá’í Houses of Worship as spiritual gathering places for prayer and meditation around which will cluster social, humanitarian, educational, and scientific institutions. Eight continental, two national, and four local Bahá’í Houses of Worship have been built.","media_information_houses_worship_p2":"The physical structure of a House of Worship comprises a central building—a House of Worship—along with several dependencies. While the House of Worship forms the focal point of worship in a geographical area, its purpose is not solely to provide a place for prayer. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá explained that, through the provision of education, healthcare and other services it is also to support the social and economic progress of the community and afford shelter, relief and assistance to those in need. In this connection, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá anticipated that subsidiary branches—such as a hospital, school, university, dispensary, and hospice—would gradually be added to a House of Worship. Bahá’u’lláh refers to the House of Worship as a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár, Arabic for “dawning place of the mention of God.”","media_information_houses_worship_p3":"Bahá’í Houses of Worship are located in:","media_information_houses_worship_p4":"Plans are underway to build a national House of Worship in Brazil, Canada, and Malawi. A local House of Worship is also being constructed in Batouri, Cameroon; Bihar Sharif, India; Kanchanpur, Nepal; and Mwinilunga, Zambia. At the local level, meetings for worship are held regularly in Bahá’í centers and in the homes of believers all over the world.","media_information_key_terms_facts_h1":"Name of the religion and of the organization – the Bahá’í Faith","media_information_key_terms_facts_h2":"Founder of the Bahá’í Faith – Bahá’u’lláh","media_information_key_terms_facts_h3":"Year of founding – 1844","media_information_key_terms_facts_h4":"Head of the religion – the Universal House of Justice","media_information_key_terms_facts_h5":"Number of Bahá’ís – more than 5 million","media_information_key_terms_facts_h6":"Description of the religion and key beliefs","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_a":"the unity of the races and elimination of prejudice,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_b":"the equality of women and men,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_c":"universal education,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_d":"the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_e":"a spiritual solution to economic problems,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_f":"establishment of a universal auxiliary language,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_g":"the harmony of science and religion,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_h":"the independent investigation of truth,","media_information_key_terms_facts_li_6_i":"the creation of a world commonwealth of nations that will keep the peace through collective security.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p1_a":"The Bahá’í Faith is an independent world religion.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p1_b":"A member is called a Bahá’í (plural: Bahá’ís). It is also correct to say that someone is a “member of the Bahá’í Faith,” a “follower of the Bahá’í Faith,” a “follower of Bahá’u’lláh,” or a member of the Bahá’í community of a given locality.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p1_c":"The term “Bahá’í International Community” refers to the non-governmental organization that represents the worldwide Bahá’í community. It has been registered with the United Nations (UN) as a non-governmental organization since 1948. It currently has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as accreditation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). The Bahá’í International Community collaborates with the UN and its specialized agencies, as well as member states, inter- and non-governmental organizations, academia, and practitioners. It has Representative Offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, Jakarta, and New York.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p2":"Bahá’ís consider Bahá’u’lláh to be the most recent in a line of great religious teachers, or Messengers of God, that includes Abraham, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Krishna, Muhammad, Moses, Zoroaster, and others. Bahá’u’lláh—the name is Arabic for “Glory of God”—was born in 1817 in Tehran, Iran, and passed away in 1892 in Acre, Israel. The coming of Bahá’u’lláh was announced by the Báb (Arabic for “Gate”), also considered by Bahá’ís to be a divine Messenger.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p3":"There are a number of important dates in the establishment of the Bahá’í Faith, but the first announcement by the Báb of the new religion came in 1844.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p4":"The Universal House of Justice is the international governing council of the Bahá’í community, an elected body of nine men. Its seat is at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa, Israel. Around the world, in almost all countries, a National Spiritual Assembly oversees the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith in that country, and Local Spiritual Assemblies oversee local affairs.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p6_a":"The Bahá’í Faith is an independent, monotheistic religion established in virtually every country of the world. Bahá’ís believe that the world’s major religions represent unfolding chapters in God’s teachings for humankind, and that the writings of Bahá’u’lláh represent God’s guidance for this age.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p6_b":"Bahá’u’lláh’s central teaching is the unity of humanity under one God.","media_information_key_terms_facts_p6_c":"Among the many Bahá’í principles are the following:","media_information_key_terms_facts_p7":"For more information, see [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org).","media_information_li_a_1":"Phone (office): +972 (4) 835-8412","media_information_li_a_2":"E-mail, for news inquiries: [news@bahai.org](mailto:news@bahai.org)","media_information_li_b_1":"Mr. Saleem Vaillaincourt (London)","media_information_li_b_2":"Senior information officer","media_information_li_b_3":"Phone (office): +1 (212) 803-2544","media_information_li_b_4":"E-mail: [media@bic.org](mailto:media@bic.org)","media_information_li_c_1":"Ms. Bani Dugal (New York)","media_information_li_c_2":"Principal Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations","media_information_li_c_3":"Bahá’í International Community","media_information_li_c_4":"Phone: +1 (212) 803-2500","media_information_li_c_5":"After-hours phone: +1 (914) 329-3020","media_information_li_c_6":"E-mail: [uno-nyc@bic.org](mailto:uno-nyc@bic.org)","media_information_li_d_1":"Ms. Simin Fahandej (Geneva)","media_information_li_d_2":"Representative of the Bahá’í International Community to the United Nations","media_information_li_d_3":"Bahá’í International Community","media_information_li_d_4":"Phone: +41 (27) 798-5400","media_information_li_d_5":"After-hours phone: +41 (78) 880-0759","media_information_li_d_6":"E-mail: [geneva@bic.org](mailto:geneva@bic.org)","media_information_li_e_1":"Persian – Simin Fahandej, +41 (27) 798-5400","media_information_li_e_2":"French – Rachel Bayani, +32 (475) 750394","media_information_li_e_3":"To arrange other languages +972 (4) 835-8412","media_information_media_contacts":"Media Contacts","media_information_p1":"Editors, journalists, and other media professionals are encouraged to contact the National Office of the Bahá’ís of their own country. See [National Communities](https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/).","media_information_p2":"BWNS reports on major developments and endeavors of the global Bahá’í community.","media_information_p3":"Information about the Bahá’í Faith is available at [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org/)","media_information_p_native":"The website for BWNS is located at [news.bahai.org](https://news.bahai.org/)","media_information_photographs_p1":"To arrange for photographs, you are encouraged to contact the office of the National Spiritual Assembly of the  Bahá’ís of your country. See [National Communities](https://www.bahai.org/national-communities/).","media_information_photographs_p2":"For more information, or for international photographs, contact the Bahá’í World Centre:","media_information_photographs_p3":"Phone: +972 (4) 835-8412  \n            E-mail: [news@bahai.org](mailto:news@bahai.org)","media_information_photographs_p4":"Photographs here may be downloaded and published, with photo credit given to the Bahá’í World Centre. [Terms of use](https://news.bahai.org/legal/).","media_information_photographs_p5":"Additional photos are available through the [Bahá’í Media Bank](https://media.bahai.org/). Images attached to articles in the [Bahá’í World News Service](https://news.bahai.org/) main site may also be downloaded.","media_information_photographs_p6":"Photographs of Bahá’ís imprisoned in Iran are available in the [Iran Update](/human-rights/iran/iran-update/photos.html) section of this Web site.","media_information_sidecontent_h1":"Bahá’ís in Iran","media_information_sidecontent_li":"Updates, background, photos","media_information_statistics_p1":"There are more than 5 million Bahá’ís in the world.","media_information_statistics_p2":"The Bahá’í Faith is established in virtually every country and in many dependent territories and overseas departments of countries. Bahá’ís reside in well over 100,000 localities. About 2,100 indigenous tribes, races, and ethnic groups are represented in the Bahá’í community.","media_information_statistics_p3":"There are currently 188 councils at the national level that oversee the work of communities. A network of over 300 training institutes, offering formal programs of Bahá’í education, span the globe.","media_information_statistics_p4":"Of the several thousand Bahá’í efforts in social and economic development, more than 900 are large-scale, sustained projects, including more than 600 schools and over 70 development agencies.","media_information_statistics_p5":"There are currently 14 Bahá’í Houses of Worship – in Australia, Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Germany, India, Kenya, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Uganda, the United States, and Vanuatu. Plans are underway to build a national House of Worship in Brazil, Canada, and Malawi. Local Houses of Worship are also being constructed in Batouri, Cameroon; Bihar Sharif, India; Kanchanpur, Nepal; and Mwinilunga, Zambia. At the local level, meetings for worship are held regularly in Bahá’í centers and in the homes of believers all over the world.","media_information_statistics_p6":"The Bahá’í International Community has been registered with the United Nations as a non-governmental organization since 1948. It currently has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as accreditation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). The Bahá’í International Community collaborates with the UN and its specialized agencies, as well as member states, inter- and non-governmental organizations, academia, and practitioners. It has Representative Offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, Jakarta, and New York.","media_information_statistics_p7":"Bahá’í writings and other literature have been translated into more than 800 languages.","media_information_statistics_p8":"Each year, around one million people visit the Bahá’í Shrine, terraces, and gardens on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.","media_information_statistics_p9":"In Iran, where the Bahá’í Faith originated, there are now about 300,000 Bahá’ís, constituting the largest religious minority in that country.","media_information_style_guide_h1":"Pronunciation guide","media_information_style_guide_h2":"Style guide and glossary","media_information_style_guide_p1":"**Bahá’í:**   Ba-HIGH  \n            **Bahá’u’lláh:**   Ba-ha-ul-LAH  \n            **Báb:**   Bahb (Bob)  \n            **‘Abdu’l-Bahá:**   Abdul ba-HAH  \n            **Naw-Rúz:**   Naw Rooz  \n            **Ridván:**   REZ-vahn","media_information_style_guide_p2_1":"**‘Abdu’l-Bahá** (1844-1921) – The son of Bahá’u’lláh who was the head of the Bahá’í Faith from 1892 to 1921. Bahá’u’lláh in His will had designated ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as His successor. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá occupies a special station as the authoritative interpreter of the writings of Bahá’u’lláh and as the perfect example of how a Bahá’í should live. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá traveled widely through Europe and North America from 1911-1913, explaining his Father’s teachings in talks, interviews, and addresses at universities, churches, temples, synagogues, and missions for the poor. (Bahá’ís capitalize pronouns—for example, “He”—that refers to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá out of respect for his special station. Such pronouns are not capitalized in this guide in deference to international journalistic style and also to avoid confusion with Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb, who are considered to be divine Prophets.) For more information, see [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_10":"**Bahá’í Faith** – The correct term for the religion is the Bahá’í Faith. It is an independent, monotheistic religion established in virtually every country of the world. It is not a sect of another religion. In a list of major religions, it would look like this: Hinduism, Zoroastrianism,  Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, the Bahá’í Faith.","media_information_style_guide_p2_11":"**Bahá’í International Community** – The Bahá’í International Community is a non-governmental organization that represents the worldwide Bahá’í community. It has been registered with the United Nations as a non-governmental organization since 1948. It currently has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social council (ECOSOC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as well as accreditation with the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI). The Bahá’í International Community collaborates with the UN and its specialized agencies, as well as member states, inter- and non-governmental organizations, academia, and practitioners. It has Representative Offices in Addis Ababa, Brussels, Cairo, Geneva, Jakarta, and New York. For more information, see [bic.org](https://www.bic.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_12":"**Bahá’í World Centre** – The spiritual and administrative center of the Bahá’í Faith, comprising the holy places in the Haifa/Acre area in northern Israel and the Arc of administrative buildings on Mount Carmel in Haifa. The Bahá’í World Centre itself uses the spelling “Centre”; elsewhere both “Centre” and “Center” are used, depending on the custom of the country.","media_information_style_guide_p2_13":"**Bahá’u’lláh** – The founder of the Bahá’í Faith, who lived from 1817 to 1892, considered by Bahá’ís to be the most recent divine Messenger, or Manifestation of God, in a line of great religious figures that includes Abraham, Buddha, Jesus, Krishna, Moses, Muhammad, Zoroaster, the Báb, and others. Bahá’u’lláh was born in Tehran in present-day Iran, and passed away near Acre, in what is now Israel. “Bahá’u’lláh” is a title that means the “Glory of God” in Arabic; His name was Mírzá Husayn-‘Alí. His writings, which would equal about a hundred volumes, form the basis of the Bahá’í teachings. For more information, see [Bahai.org](http://www.bahai.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_14":"**Bahjí** – The place near Acre where the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh (His burial place) is located, as well as the mansion that was His last residence and surrounding gardens. It is a place of pilgrimage for Bahá’ís. The word “Bahjí” is Arabic for “delight.”","media_information_style_guide_p2_15":"**children’s classes** – Classes in moral education, open to all, that are provided for children, operated at the community level by the Bahá’í training institute.","media_information_style_guide_p2_16":"**Convention** – See [International Bahá’í Convention](#internationalbahaiconvention) and [National Bahá’í Convention](#nationalbahaicconvention).","media_information_style_guide_p2_18":"**counsellor** – An adviser appointed by the Universal House of Justice who serves in a particular geographic area or at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa. At present, there are 90 counsellors assigned to specific countries or regions, and nine counsellors who form the membership of the International Teaching Centre at the  Bahá’í World Centre. Appointments are for five years.","media_information_style_guide_p2_19":"**devotional meetings** – Gatherings, often in people’s homes, for prayers and to read the sacred writings of the Bahá’í Faith and other religions. Usually undertaken as an individual initiative.","media_information_style_guide_p2_2":"**accent marks** – Bahá’í, Bahá’u’lláh, and other names are written with accent marks, but many publications and websites do not have the facility for using such marks.","media_information_style_guide_p2_20":"**fast, the** – A period during which Bahá’ís abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sundown during the Bahá’í month of ‘Alá’, from 2 March to 20 March. Bahá’u’lláh enjoined His followers to pray and fast during this period. The sick, the traveler, and pregnant women, among others, are exempt.","media_information_style_guide_p2_21":"**feast** – See [Nineteen Day Feast](#nineteendayfeast).","media_information_style_guide_p2_22":"**Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith** – See [Shoghi Effendi](#shoghieffendi).","media_information_style_guide_p2_23":"**Haifa** – The city in northern Israel that, along with nearby Acre, is the location of the Bahá’í World Centre. The international administrative buildings of the Bahá’í Faith (including the Seat of the Universal House of Justice), the Shrine of the Báb, and surrounding terraces and gardens are all located on Mount Carmel in the heart of Haifa.","media_information_style_guide_p2_24":"**Holy days** – Eleven days that commemorate significant Bahá’í anniversaries. The nine holy days on which work is suspended are the Birth of Bahá’u’lláh, the Birth of the Báb, Declaration of the Báb, Ascension of Bahá’u’lláh, Martyrdom of the Báb, Naw-Rúz, Ridván (a 12-day festival, of which the first, ninth and 12th days are holy days). The other two holy days are the Day of the Covenant and the Ascension of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. *See names of individual holy days.*","media_information_style_guide_p2_25":"**Holy Land** – The area associated with present-day Israel, which is holy to a number of religions, including to Bahá’ís. The resting places of Bahá’u’lláh near Acre and of the Báb in Haifa are, to Bahá’ís, the holiest spots on earth.","media_information_style_guide_p2_26":"**International Archives Building** – One of the buildings at the Bahá’í World Centre on Mount Carmel in Haifa. The repository of many sacred relics of the Bahá’í Faith, it is visited by thousands of Bahá’í pilgrims each year.","media_information_style_guide_p2_27":"**International Bahá’í Convention** – A gathering every five years of delegates from around the world to consult on the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith and elect the members of the Universal House of Justice. Members of the National Spiritual Assemblies serve as delegates.","media_information_style_guide_p2_28":"**International Teaching Centre** – One of the institutions at the Bahá’í World Centre in Haifa. The International Teaching Centre has nine members, all counsellors appointed by the Universal House of Justice. Appointments are for five years.","media_information_style_guide_p2_29":"**Local Spiritual Assembly** – At the local level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are administered by the Local Spiritual Assembly. Each Local Assembly consists of nine members who are chosen in annual elections. As with all other elected Bahá’í institutions, the Assembly functions as a body and makes decisions through consultation. The responsibilities of the Local Spiritual Assembly include promoting the spiritual education of children and young people, strengthening the spiritual and social fabric of Bahá’í community life, assessing and utilizing the community’s resources, and ensuring that the energies and talents of community members contribute towards progress.","media_information_style_guide_p2_3":"**Acre**– English rendering of the name of the city north of Haifa where Bahá’u’lláh was exiled in 1868. He lived in or near the city until His passing in 1892. Bahá’ís often use the Arabic name, ‘Akká, which was the name in general use during the time of Bahá’u’lláh. In Hebrew the name is Akko.","media_information_style_guide_p2_30":"**Mount Carmel** – In Haifa, Israel, site of the Bahá’í World Centre, including several Bahá’í holy places, the most important of which is the Shrine of the Báb, and the buildings housing the administrative offices of the Bahá’í World Centre.","media_information_style_guide_p2_31":"**National Bahá’í Convention** – In each country, the annual gathering of elected delegates to discuss the affairs of the Bahá’í Faith in their jurisdiction and to elect the members of the National Spiritual Assembly.","media_information_style_guide_p2_32":"**National Spiritual Assembly** – At the national level, the affairs of the Bahá’í community are administered by the National Spiritual Assembly, a nine-member elected council responsible for guiding, co-ordinating, and stimulating the activities of Local Spiritual Assemblies and individual members of the Bahá’í community within a given country. The responsibilities of a National Spiritual Assembly include channelling the community’s financial resources, fostering the growth and vibrancy of the national Bahá’í community, supervising the affairs of the community including its social and economic development activities and its properties, overseeing relations with government, resolving questions from individuals and Local Spiritual Assemblies, and strengthening the participation of the Bahá’í community in the life of society at the national level.","media_information_style_guide_p2_33":"**Nineteen Day Feast** – An administrative gathering at the local level. The term refers to a spiritual “feast” of prayers,  consultation and fellowship. It is held every 19 days, on the first day of each Bahá’í month.","media_information_style_guide_p2_34":"**pilgrimage** – Each year thousands of Bahá’ís undertake pilgrimage, during which they forge a profound and lasting connection with the spiritual and administrative centre of their Faith, located in the Haifa-Acre area of what is now northern Israel. Bahá’í pilgrims pray and meditate at the Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh and the Shrine of the Báb, as well as in the beautiful gardens that surround them. They also draw inspiration from the time spent at various historical sites associated with the lives of Bahá’u’lláh, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi, as well as from visits to the edifices dedicated to the worldwide administration of the Bahá’í Faith.","media_information_style_guide_p2_35":"**progressive revelation** – The central belief that Manifestations of God have successively provided the guidance necessary for humanity’s social and spiritual evolution.","media_information_style_guide_p2_36":"**Regional Bahá’í Council** – In some countries, the National Spiritual Assembly assigns certain of its functions to Regional Bahá’í Councils, which serve a designated geographical area within the land in question. The responsibilities of a Regional Council may include carrying out policies of the National Spiritual Assembly, supervising progress of particular plans and projects, and taking steps to stimulate and coordinate the growth of the Bahá’í community within the region.","media_information_style_guide_p2_37":"**Shoghi Effendi** (1897-1957) – The head of the Bahá’í Faith from 1921 to 1957. His title is Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith. He is the grandson of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the great-grandson of Bahá’u’lláh. For more information, see [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_38":"**Shrine of Bahá’u’lláh** – The resting place of the mortal remains of Bahá’u’lláh, located near the city of Acre in what is now Israel. The shrine is the holiest spot on earth to Bahá’ís and a place of pilgrimage.","media_information_style_guide_p2_39":"**Shrine of the Báb** – The resting place of the mortal remains of the Báb, located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. It is a sacred site to Bahá’ís and a place of pilgrimage.","media_information_style_guide_p2_4":"**‘Akká, Akko** – See entry above for “[Acre](#acre)”.","media_information_style_guide_p2_40":"**study circles** – A study circle is one of the principal elements of the process of distance education offered by the [Bahá’í training institute](https://www.bahai.org/action/response-call-bahaullah/training-institute). It is a small group that meets regularly to study the institute course materials.","media_information_style_guide_p2_41":"**Universal House of Justice** – The international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith. It is the supreme administrative body ordained by Bahá’u’lláh in His book of laws. The Universal House of Justice is elected every five years at the International Bahá’í Convention, where members of the National Spiritual Assemblies around the world serve as delegates. The Universal House of Justice was first elected in 1963. Its permanent seat is on Mount Carmel in Haifa.","media_information_style_guide_p2_5":"**Arc** – An area on Mount Carmel in Haifa, shaped like an arc, where the major international administrative buildings of the Bahá’í Faith, including the Seat of the Universal House of Justice, are situated.","media_information_style_guide_p2_6":"**Báb** – The title, meaning “Gate,” assumed by Siyyid ‘Ali-Muhammad, the Founder of the Bábí Faith and the Forerunner of Bahá’u’lláh. Considered by Bahá’ís to be one of the twin Manifestations of God associated with the Bahá’í Faith. Born on 20 October 1819, the Báb proclaimed Himself to be the Promised One of Islam and said His mission was to announce the imminent coming of another Messenger even greater than Himself, namely Bahá’u’lláh. Because of these claims, the Báb was executed by firing squad in the public square in Tabriz on 9 July 1850. His remains were hidden in Iran for many years before being taken to Haifa/Acre in 1899 and buried on Mount Carmel in 1909. For more information, see [Bahai.org](http://www.bahai.org).","media_information_style_guide_p2_7":"**Bábí Faith** – The religion founded by the Báb. After 1863 and the announcement by Bahá’u’lláh that He was the Messenger whose coming had been foretold by the Báb, the Bahá’í Faith gradually became established and most followers of the Báb began to call themselves Bahá’ís.","media_information_style_guide_p2_8":"**Badí‘ calendar** – The Bahá’í calendar, consisting of 19 months of 19 days each, with the addition of intercalary days known as Ayyám-i-Há. The number of these intercalary days varies according to the timing of the vernal equinox in the northern hemisphere in successive years. The first day of the year corresponds to the spring equinox. The Bahá’í era (B.E.) begins with 1844, the year of the Báb’s declaration. For more information, see [Bahai.org](https://www.bahai.org/action/devotional-life/calendar).","media_information_style_guide_p2_9":"**Bahá’í** – (1) A noun referring to a member of the Bahá’í Faith. The plural is Bahá’ís. (2) An adjective describing a person, place, or thing related to the Bahá’í Faith. Examples: a Bahá’í book, the Bahá’í community, a Bahá’í holy day, a Bahá’í holy place.","media_reports":"Media Reports","menu":"Menu","meta_description_bwns":"The Bahá’í World News Service - BWNS - The official news source of the worldwide Bahá’í community, reports on major developments and endeavors of the global Bahá’í community.","minutes_short":"min","mobile_app":"Mobile app","national_bahai_communities":"National Bahá’í Communities","news_email":"news@bahai.org","news_service_home":"BWNS Home","no_matches_for":"No matches for","no_results_for":"No results for","number_of":"of","oceania":"Oceania","official_news_site":"Official news source of the worldwide Bahá’í community","one_country":"One Country","other_bahai_sites":"Other Bahá’í Sites","other_sites":"Other sites","other_stories":"Other Stories","overview_section":"Overview of this Section","page_link":"Page link","photographs":"Photographs","photographs_download":"Photographs for download","podcast":"Podcast","podcast_available":"Podcast available","podcast_description_bwns":"Reporting on major developments and endeavors of the global Bahá’í community.","podcast_p1":"The Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS) podcast reports on major developments and endeavors of the global Bahá’í community.","podcast_subscribe":"Subscribe to the BWNS podcast for additional audio content.","print":"Print","privacy":"Privacy","recent_articles":"Recent Articles","recent_headlines":"Recent headlines","recent_media_reports":"Recent media reports","recieve_stories_email":"Receive stories via email","related_stories":"Related Stories","results":"Results","return_top":"Return to top","rss":"RSS","search":"Search","search_bahai_reference_library":"Search the Bahá’í Reference Library","search_bahaiorg":"Search Bahai.org","search_news_service":"Search the News Service","section_shrine_of_abdulbaha_description":"Read reports on the progress","section_shrine_of_abdulbaha_title":"Coverage of Construction Work of the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá","see_all":"See All","seven_bahais_leaders":"The Seven Bahá’í Leaders","share":"Share","share_this_article":"Share this article","share_this_page":"Share this page","show_more":"Show more","sign_up":"Sign Up","slideshow":"Slideshow","social_media_name_instagram":"Instagram","social_media_name_instagram_account":"bahaiworldnewsservice","social_media_name_twitter":"Twitter","social_media_name_twitter_account":"bahainews","special_reports":"SPECIAL REPORTS","special_reports_shrine_construction":"Coverage of construction work for the Shrine of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá","statistics":"Statistics","story_archive":"Story Archive","style_glossary_pronunciation_guide":"Style guide, glossary and pronunciation guide","subscribe":"Subscribe","subscribe-confirmation-message":"Thank you for your interest in Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","subscribe-souble-optin-email":"You will receive an email shortly, asking you to confirm your subscription.","subscribe_bot_submission":"This doesn't look like a human submission.","subscribe_check_email":"Please check your email to confirm your subscription!","subscribe_email_exists":"This email already exists! 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Please try again later.","subscribe_unsubscribe_bwns":"Unsubscribe from BWNS","subscribe_unsubscribe_error_client":"Something went wrong, please try again.","subscribe_unsubscribe_error_no_email":"We do not have this email in our database, please try again.","subscribe_unsubscribe_error_server":"Something went wrong on our server, please try again.","subscribe_unsubscribe_h1":"Unsubscribe - Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_h1":"You have been unsubscribed from the Bahá’í World News Service (BWNS)","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_p1":"Your email address has been removed from the mailing list.","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_p2":"Thanks for having been a subscriber.","subscribe_unsubscribe_success_p3":"(If you unsubscribed by accident and prefer to continue receiving emails from the Bahá’í World News Service, please [click here](./).)","tenth_international_bahai_convention":"Tenth International Bahá’í Convention","the_bahai_faith":"The Bahá’í Faith","thirteenth_international_bahai_convention":"Thirteenth International Bahá’í Convention","twelfth_international_bahai_convention":"Twelfth International Bahá’í Convention","united_nations":"United Nations","unsubscribe":"Unsubscribe","updated_content":"UPDATED CONTENT","updates_via_social_media":"Updates via social media","url_copied_to_clipboard":"URL copied to clipboard","video":"Video","view_all":"View all","view_all_articles":"View all articles","visit_page":"Visit page","watch_next":"Watch next","watch_video":"Watch video","what_bahais_believe":"What Bahá’ís Believe","what_bahais_do":"What Bahá’ís Do","texterify_timestamp":"2023-09-10T10:15:38Z"},"archivePageNumber":59,"archiveTotalPages":80,"totalStories":1596,"archiveList":[{"storyNumber":606,"evergreenUrl":"draft-iranian-law-threatens-gross-human-rights-violations","title":"Draft Iranian law threatens gross human rights violations","description":"The Iranian Parliament is considering legislation that would institutionalize a series of gross human rights violations, affecting not only Baha'is...","date":"2008-02-22","customDateline":false,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498841-bwns8200-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498841-bwns8200-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Section Five of the proposed Iranian penal code states that the penalty for apostasy - in this case a Muslim declaring he has left Islam - is death.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The Iranian Parliament is considering legislation that would institutionalize a series of gross human rights violations, affecting not only Baha'is but many others, even outside of Iran, the Baha'i International Community said today.\n\nOf greatest concern is a section that would mandate the death penalty for anyone who converts from Islam to another religion, a provision that would affect not only Baha'is but also Christians, Jews, and others.\n\n\"This proposed law goes against all human rights norms and standards, including international treaties that Iran itself has agreed to,\" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.\n\n\"It is important for the international community to speak out, now, before it is too late and the draft code becomes Iran's law of the land.\"\n\nThe proposed law also would extend the government's reach over alleged security violations outside the country, give legal effect to discriminatory practices already in wide use against Baha'is and others, and redefine a series of \"religious\" and other crimes so vaguely as to place in jeopardy virtually any group facing government disapproval.\n\n\"If adopted, the code will permit the government and the clergy to act with impunity against Iran's citizens on the sole basis of their religious affiliation,\" said Ms. Dugal. \"This is not only an affront to the people of Iran; it is an offense to all who seek to uphold fundamental human rights.\"\n\nMs. Dugal said the new section on religious conversion -- defined as apostasy -- is especially severe, in that its language mandates the death penalty for anyone who converts from Islam to another religion and does not immediately recant.\n\n\"The text uses the word Hadd, meaning that it explicitly sets death as a fixed punishment that cannot be changed, reduced or annulled,\" said Ms. Dugal. \"In the past, the death penalty has been handed down -- and also carried out -- in apostasy cases, but it has never before been set down in law.\n\n\"The law also extends to naming as apostate any follower of a religion other than Islam who had one parent who was a Muslim at the time of his or her conception. Thus, for instance, the child of a Muslim and a Christian who chooses to adopt the Christian faith would be considered an apostate under the terms of the law and therefore subject to execution,\" Ms. Dugal said.\n\nAnother troubling section of the proposed code would extend \"security\" laws outside the country, exposing those outside Iran to the government's reach.\n\n\"Iran is apparently not content with targeting those it considers its opponents only within its borders,\" said Ms. Dugal, explaining that Article 112 of the proposed code refers to actions \"against the government, the independence and the internal and external security of the country.\"\n\n\"Since the notion of 'security' is not defined in the law, any action can be qualified as such,\" Ms. Dugal said. \"Indeed, many Iranian Baha'is have been falsely accused of activities against the security of the state.\n\n\"If the new penal code is adopted, Iranian Baha'is -- and others -- all over the world would likewise be liable for actions taken outside Iran that are considered contrary to Iran's security.\"\n\nThe code's vagueness with respect to \"offending the sacred\" and other crimes would give the government free license to act against any group it disapproves of, said Ms. Dugal.  \"The code includes articles that refer to the commission of unspecified crimes or felonies, as well as articles referring to those guilty of 'corruption and mischief on the earth,'\" she said.\n\n\"It would also institute capital punishment for anyone who 'insults the Prophet,'\" Ms. Dugal explained. \"Such provisions place many groups, including Baha'is, in an extremely vulnerable position, since an 'insult' to the Prophet can be defined in almost any context, especially where religious belief is concerned.\"\n\nIn related developments, the presidency of the European Union recently expressed \"serious concern\" over the \"deteriorating situation\" of the Baha'i community in Iran.\n\n\"The EU expresses its serious concern at the worsening situation of ethnic and religious minorities in Iran, in particular to the plight of the Baha'i,\" said the EU Presidency on 7 February 2008.\n\n\"The EU is concerned about the ongoing systematic discrimination and harassment of Baha'is in Iran, including the expulsion of university and high school students, restrictions on employment and anti-Baha'i propaganda campaigns in the Iranian media.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Supporting documents"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Excerpts from proposed Iranian penal code"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedPdfRecord","relatedPdfText":"[Document 1: Persian original](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/606/1_ExcerptsFromProposedIranianPenalCode_fa.pdf)","relatedPdfDescription":"(Adobe Acrobat 25KB) "},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedPdfRecord","relatedPdfText":"[Document 1: English translation](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/606/1_ExcerptsFromProposedIranianPenalCode_en.pdf)","relatedPdfDescription":"(Adobe Acrobat 48KB) "},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Background"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[History of persecution of Baha'is in Iran – 1844 to present: A short summary](http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Persian"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Read this story in Persian](http://www.bahai.org/persian/persecution/newsreleases/22-02-08)","relatedLinkDescription":""}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[{"tagName":"defence"}],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":605,"evergreenUrl":"building-unity-with-community-prayer","title":"Building unity with community prayer","description":"Twenty-five-year-old Andreas Rolle is in his final year of university, studying to become an elementary-school teacher. Like many students, he...","date":"2008-02-19","customDateline":null,"city":"HEIDELBERG","country":"GERMANY","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498111-bwns8194-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498111-bwns8194-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A dozen people gather every two weeks at a home in Heidelberg, Germany, for prayers, food, and conversation. Participants say they like the relaxed atmosphere.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Twenty-five-year-old Andreas Rolle is in his final year of university, studying to become an elementary-school teacher. Like many students, he describes his daily life as \"frenzied.\"\n\nBut he has discovered a small island of peace in his schedule: a prayer meeting every two weeks hosted by five Baha'is, also students in Heidelberg, a university town of 150,000 people.\n\n\"Going to these meetings helps me to refocus,\" said Mr. Rolle, a student at the Heidelberg University of Education. \"I do not like missing even one.\"\n\nOthers, students and nonstudents alike, have likewise found the gathering to be a refuge from the pressures of modern life.\n\nDominick Muller, a music student at the Pop Academy, likes that \"one consciously or deliberately comes to quietness and reflects about themselves.\"\n\n\"Afterwards there is also the possibility to talk about these thoughts and reflections with the other people,\" said Mr. Muller, who describes himself as having no religious background.\n\nHe said he likes thinking about issues in an environment removed from school and his other activities.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Organizers of the meeting believe prayers create a special atmosphere.\n\n\"I think they really help people,\" said Sarah Warner, one of the hosts. \"Even if they don't realize it in the beginning, there will be an inner transformation, like being more attentive to spirituality in other people and in their own life.\"\n\nNikolai Werner, another host, agreed. \"It is the prayers that bring people together,\" he said. \"Using the energy of the prayers we find new ways to see each other.\"\n\nThe fact that the gatherings don't have an official religious leader - Baha'is do not have clergy - is another factor in the success of the gatherings, said Nassim Aiff, another of the organizers.\n\n\"It makes the meeting very open,\" she said. \"Everyone can contribute with their own idea. Also it can't really go wrong because there is no set of rules. If people like to talk about the things that were in the quotations, they can. They don't have to, though.\"\n\nThe gatherings in Heidelberg are part of a global effort by the worldwide Baha'i community to host devotional gatherings in neighborhoods everywhere. There are now more than 17,000 such meetings, with hundreds of thousands of participants.\n\nAbout a dozen people gather every two weeks for this meeting in Heidelberg.\n\n\"I think it is the atmosphere that attracts the people most,\" said Ms. Aiff. \"And of course the good food. But mainly the atmosphere, having a chance to be completely themselves, not having to worry about what people might think about them.\"\n\nChandriah Rama, a software engineer working for SAP in Heidelberg, said he enjoys the gatherings because they make him feel relaxed.\n\n\"There is good meditation, and the meeting has very nice people,\" he said.\n\nMr. Rolle said he never imagined that he could feel so comfortable in a group of people.\n\n\"The devotional gathering makes us connect on more than just a religious level.... I love it all. The food, reflecting, being in a prayerful state, the moments being together, meditating, telling stories and laughing together.\"\n\nHe said that what he finds most extraordinary is that although the gathering is organized by Baha'is, it is inspiring for others, too.\n\n\"I believe that devotional meetings bring people together and form tighter bonds,\" he said.\n\nIt is this type of response that encourages Baha'is in their belief that such meetings can help lay the foundation for peace.\n\n\"Coming together to say prayers on a regular basis with friends and family will change the world,\" said Nassim Ghazanfari, another of the hosts. \"That's why I'm doing it.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498109-bwns8195-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The gatherings start with prayers, followed by conversation and reflection. Good food is also an attraction, the hosts say."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498109-bwns8196-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Baha'is do not have clergy, and there is no official religious leader for the gatherings."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":604,"evergreenUrl":"bahai-international-community-issues-statement-poverty-eradication","title":"Baha'i International Community issues statement on poverty eradication","description":"A new statement from the Baha'i International Community calls for a coherent, principle-based approach to the eradication of global poverty....","date":"2008-02-15","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498101-bwns8193-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498101-bwns8193-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Among those present at the 14 February 2008 presentation of the statement \"Eradicating Poverty: Moving Forward as One\" were, from left, Bani Dugal, principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations; Nikhil Seth, director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination and special assistant and chief of office to the undersecretary in the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs; Julia Berger, senior researcher and writer at the BIC; and Tahirih Naylor, a BIC representative to the U.N.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A new statement from the Baha'i International Community calls for a coherent, principle-based approach to the eradication of global poverty.\n\nBIC representatives introduced the statement, \"Eradicating Poverty: Moving Forward as One,\" yesterday at a luncheon held at their offices across from the United Nations. About 40 representatives from various nongovernmental organizations and UN agencies gathered for the presentation.\n\nTahirih Naylor, a Baha'i representative to the United Nations, said the statement was released to coincide with the 46th Commission for Social Development at the United Nations, which runs 6-15 February 2008.\n\n\"This year, the commission is focusing on the themes of promoting full employment and decent work for all,\" said Ms. Naylor. \"These are important aspects of poverty eradication, but we wanted to advocate a more coherent approach, one that looks at the wide range of issues that must be addressed in an integrated way if global poverty is to be eliminated.\"\n\nThe statement calls on both institutions and individuals internationally to put essential moral principles, such as unity and justice, first.  It recasts the underlying nature of poverty, saying it \"can be described as the absence of those ethical, social and material resources needed to develop the moral, intellectual and social capacities of individuals, communities and institutions.\"\n\nThe statement also examines a number of specific topical areas where poverty alleviation efforts can be most effectively focused.  These include leadership and governance, human rights, gender, sustainable development, agriculture, employment, individual responsibility, education, and religion.\n\nThose gathered for the presentation were addressed by Nikhil Seth, from the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and Julia Berger, senior researcher and writer for the Baha'i International Community.\n\nMr. Seth said the statement's \"key message is that solidarity of action is what we need. If we can galvanize that spirit, we'll have won the battle.\"\n\nMr. Seth, who is director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination at DESA, shared his experience in developing nations, including his native India, and recommended an additional focus on country-specific solutions. \"Generic solutions are not sufficient,\" he said, noting that land issues and culture play strong roles. \"A community-specific analysis is needed to tackle poverty.\"\n\nMr. Seth also stressed the related problem of hunger. \"The problem of malnourishment requires a whole different set of interventions,\" he said, saying that in his country more than 40 percent of children under 5 are malnourished.\n\nMr. Seth also noted that international agencies sometimes place too much emphasis on measuring poverty rather than doing something about it.\n\n\"Macroeconomic aggregates do not really capture the indignities of poverty the way your statement has done so beautifully,\" he said.\n\nMs. Berger said that the issue of poverty is inextricably linked to other complex factors such as human rights, development, and environmental circumstances.  It is a positive indication, she said, that the UN community is beginning to realize the interconnectedness of all these factors and focusing on ways to formulate an integrated approach.\n\n\"Not to overstate the case, but the change in thought required to get to this point is like the Copernican revolution of recognizing that the earth revolves around the sun, and not the other way around,\" Ms. Berger said.\n\nMs. Naylor said the statement was initially drafted in response to a call from the UN Human Rights Council for a consultation on \"draft guiding principles\" to help focus the discussion on the link between human rights and extreme poverty.\n\nAs part of that process, the BIC contacted selected members of the Baha'i community around the world and asked them to organize discussions on poverty and human rights involving individuals from the local level.\n\n\"These discussions took place in six countries – Brazil, Guyana, Haiti, India, Namibia and Turkey – and the consultations there provided first-hand experiences and impressions from individuals who are most affected by poverty.\"\n\n[To read  Eradicating Poverty: Moving Forward as One,  click here.](http://bic.org/statements-and-reports/bic-statements/08-0214.htm)\n\n[read this story in Persian]( http://www.bahai.org/persian/newsreleases/15-02-08)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":602,"evergreenUrl":"iranian-bahais-sentenced-prison-were-helping-underprivileged-youth","title":"Iranian Baha'is sentenced to prison were helping underprivileged youth","description":"Accusations by the Iranian government that 54 Baha'is were engaged in anti-regime \"propaganda\" when they were arrested almost two years ago are...","date":"2008-02-06","customDateline":false,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498088-bwns8177-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498088-bwns8177-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Haleh Rouhi, Sasan Taqva and Raha Sabet were taken into custody in November 2007. They are serving a four-year sentence on charges connected entirely with their belief and practice in the Baha'i Faith.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Accusations by the Iranian government that 54 Baha'is were engaged in anti-regime \"propaganda\" when they were arrested almost two years ago are patently false, the Baha'i International Community said today.\n\nIn November, three of that group were re-arrested and imprisoned for four years. The others have reportedly been given suspended one-year sentences.\n\n\"Far from working against the government, the Baha'is who were arrested in May 2006 were engaged in a humanitarian project aimed at helping underprivileged young people in the city of Shiraz,\" said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva.\n\n\"Charges by the government that suggest otherwise are nothing less than an attempt to repress Iranian Baha'is generally and to deflect international criticism of Iran's human rights record,\" she said.\n\nConcern over the status of the Baha'is sentenced in Shiraz was highlighted last week after an Iranian government spokesperson accused them of engaging in anti-government \"propaganda,\" according to wire service reports. (While those reports put the total arrests at 54, Baha'i sources indicate that only 53 Baha'is were arrested in May 2006.)\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"That charge of anti-regime propaganda came several days after the US State Department and Amnesty International expressed concern over the fact that three of the Baha'is arrested had been summarily imprisoned in November for terms of four years.\n\nAccording to Agence France-Presse, an Iranian judiciary spokesman, Ali Reza Jamshidi, confirmed the prison sentences for the three and also told reporters on 29 January that 51 others had received suspended one-year jail terms, conditional on their attendance of courses held by the state's Islamic Propaganda Organization.\n\n\"The accounts emerging from Iran tell of a government that is desperate to justify its actions in the jailing of three innocent people by accusing them of teaching the Baha'i Faith, which is synonymous with 'anti-regime propaganda' in the government's twisted perspective, said Ms. Ala'i. \"This is further evidenced by the requirement that the others attend re-education classes, which are clearly aimed at coercing them away from their religious beliefs.\n\n\"While teaching the Baha'i Faith cannot be considered a crime of any sort, given that freedom of religion is protected by international law, the fact is that the Baha'is who were arrested almost two years ago in Shiraz were not working to spread Baha'i teachings -- rather they had initiated and were participating in a number of literacy and youth empowerment projects in various locations in and near Shiraz.\n\n\"Moreover, the group had introduced the projects to the Islamic Council of the city of Shiraz in 2005 and had subsequently received a letter from the Cultural Commission granting permission to continue their activities,\" said Ms. Ala'i.\n\nMs. Ala'i also discussed charges, made in court documents, that the use of a workbook titled \"Breezes of Confirmation,\" which focuses on teaching language skills and basic moral principles, constitutes part of the evidence that Baha'is were teaching the Baha'i Faith.\n\n\"The fact is,\" said Ms. Ala'i, \" 'Breezes of Confirmation' makes no direct reference to the Baha'i Faith -- and its lessons reflect moral lessons common to all religions.\n\n\"In view of the government's continued rebuff of international appeals for the immediate release of the three prisoners, it is important to provide a detailed account, so as to set the record straight,\" said Ms. Ala'i. The names of the three are Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, 29; Raha Sabet Sarvestani , 33; and Sasan Taqva, 32.\n\n[Read an account of the development of the social service projects initiated by the Baha'i community of Shiraz.](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/602/01_shiraz_bahai_social_service_projects_en.pdf)\n\n[View a sample lesson from the workbook \"Breezes of Confirmation\"](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/602/02_breezes_of_confirmation_lesson_excerpt_en.pdf)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498088-bwns8181-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Class in Shahlabad, outside Shiraz, Iran."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498088-bwns8180-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Class in Sahlabad, outside Shiraz, Iran."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498088-bwns8179-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Tutors and children gathered for class in Sahlabad, outside Shiraz, Iran. Such classes were shut down by the government in 2006."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498089-bwns8182-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Class in Katsbas, outside Shiraz, Iran."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Supporting documents"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Chronology of the social service projects initiated by the Baha'i community of Shiraz"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedPdfRecord","relatedPdfText":"[Document 1: English](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/602/01_shiraz_bahai_social_service_projects_en.pdf) (Adobe Acrobat 237KB)","relatedPdfDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedPdfRecord","relatedPdfText":"[Document 1: Persian](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/602/01_shiraz_bahai_social_service_projects_fa.pdf) (Adobe Acrobat 98KB)","relatedPdfDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Sample lesson from the workbook \"Breezes of Confirmation\""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedPdfRecord","relatedPdfText":"[Document 2: English](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/602/02_breezes_of_confirmation_lesson_excerpt_en.pdf) (Adobe Acrobat 288KB)","relatedPdfDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedPdfRecord","relatedPdfText":"[Document 2: Persian](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/602/02_breezes_of_confirmation_lesson_excerpt_fa.pdf) (Adobe Acrobat 207KB)","relatedPdfDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Background"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[History of persecution of Baha'is in Iran – 1844 to present: A short summary](http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"BWNS Story: [Amnesty International, US State Department call for release of Baha'i prisoners in Iran](/story/599)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Persian"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Read this story in Persian](http://www.bahai.org/persian/persecution/newsreleases/06-02-08)","relatedLinkDescription":""}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":601,"evergreenUrl":"new-tactic-obstructs-bahai-enrollments-iranian-universities","title":"New tactic obstructs Baha'i enrollments in Iranian universities","description":"More than a million students take Iran's national university entrance examination each year. So Halaku Rahmaniyan was extremely pleased when...","date":"2008-01-31","customDateline":false,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498077-bwns8176-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498077-bwns8176-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"More than a million students take Iran's national university entrance examination each year. So Halaku Rahmaniyan was extremely pleased when he learned he had placed 76th from the top.\n\n\"I was happy, because I knew that it was a good result and that I could enter any subject in any university with that ranking,\" the 18-year-old student from Tehran wrote in a blog recently.\n\nHe did not understand why, then, he still had not been accepted anywhere by December. So Mr. Rahmaniyan called the national Education Measurement and Evaluation Organization (EMEO), which administers the exam, and spoke with a top official.\n\nThe official, too, was puzzled -- until Mr. Rahmaniyan said he was a Baha'i.\n\n\"Suddenly, after the word 'Baha'i,' he discontinued the call,\" wrote Mr. Rahmaniyan.\n\nThen he received a letter from the EMEO.\n\n\"Respectfully, in response to your request for the issuance of a certificate of ranking for the year 2007, we would like to inform you that owing to you having an incomplete file, issuance of a certificate of ranking is not possible,\" stated the letter.\n\nThe story is one of many from Iran in recent months that highlight the latest tactic by the Iranian government in its long-running campaign to block Baha'is from access to higher education: to claim that their examination files are somehow \"incomplete.\"\n\nAlmost 800 of the more than 1,000 Baha'is who sat for and properly completed the entrance exam in June 2007 have received word that their files are \"incomplete\" -- thus preventing their enrollment.\n\n\"These latest figures show that, despite its denials, the Iranian government is continuing its campaign to prevent Baha'is from going to university,\" said Diane Ala'i, the Baha'i International Community's representative to the United Nations in Geneva.\n\n\"The tactic of claiming that the examination files of Baha'i students are somehow 'incomplete' is yet another ruse by the government to act as if it respects human rights while covertly moving ahead with its persecution of Baha'is,\" said Ms. Ala'i, noting that none of the some 900 Baha'is who sat for the examination in 2006 received a notice of \"incomplete files.\"\n\nFor more than 25 years, Baha'is have been banned from public and private universities in Iran. After pressure from the United Nations, governments, and academic, educational and human rights organizations, the government indicated in 2004 that it would stop asking university applicants about their religious affiliation, which seemed to open the door to Baha'i enrollments.\n\nEach year since then, however, the government, which has been actively pursuing a campaign to identify all of the Baha'is in Iran and therefore is able to target Baha'i university students, has come up with some type of obstruction.\n\nFor the 2006-2007 academic year, the main tactic used to deprive Baha'is of access to higher education was expulsions.\n\nAs noted above, about 900 Baha'i students sat for the exam in June 2006. Nearly 500 passed and were listed as eligible to apply to university. Yet of the roughly 200 who ultimately managed to enroll in university in autumn 2006, the majority were gradually expelled over the course of the academic year.\n\nThe students were expelled as their identity as Baha'is became known to university officials.\n\nThat those expulsions reflect official government policy was confirmed in a confidential 2006 letter from Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology instructing Iranian universities to expel any student who is discovered to be a Baha'i.\n\nBaha'i students have been speaking out on blogs and in other forums. Nevertheless, the names have been withheld in the following accounts to protect their identity.\n\nIn October, a male student from Hamadan, who was expelled last year, told how many Baha'i students wished to educate themselves in part to help advance the development of their country.\n\n\"In order to better play our role in the reformation and distinction of this sacred land, we ask the respected officials to remove all obstacles for the entrance and continuation of the education of Baha'i students and lovers of knowledge at all universities in the country,\" he said.\n\nIn February, a young woman wrote to a high official to ask why she had been suddenly expelled from Payame Noor University.\n\n\"Of what crime have we been accused?\" she asked. \"After many years of yearning to receive a university education, I was ultimately given permission to enroll at a university this current year. Alas, I was expelled because of my religion after attending classes for a few weeks.\"\n\nAs noted, for the 2007-2008 academic calendar, of the more than 1,000 students who sat for and properly completed the entrance examination, nearly 800 were excluded because of \"incomplete files.\"\n\nMr. Rahmaniyan learned of his high score from an Internet posting in the fall. \"I ranked 54th in the regional quota and had come 76th nationwide,\" he wrote in a blog entry.\n\n\"Soon after, I found out that most of the Baha'i youth of my age group, were not even permitted to see their exam results because of having what had been announced on the Internet as 'incomplete file,'\" he wrote. \"My joy turned into sorrow....\"\n\nMs. Ala'i noted that Mr. Rahmaniyan's case is not unusual. Many Baha'is this year, as in previous years, scored well on the national university entrance examination but were not allowed entry, even though other students with lower scores were allowed to enroll, she said.\n\n\"The low percentage of Baha'is in university in Iran is not because of low test scores or poor academic achievement,\" said Ms. Ala'i. \"It is simply because the government has sought by various means to block Baha'is from enrolling or staying in university.\"\n\nIn 2004 and 2005, she said, the Baha'is were prevented from enrolling because the government sent back the examination papers with the word \"Islam\" printed in the data field for a prospective student's religion. That was unacceptable to Baha'is until it was clarified in 2006 and 2007 that that notation only meant the student had passed the exam's section on Islam, and did not indicate religious identity.\n\n\"Despite repeated protests by Western academics, university officials, and college students in many countries, not to mention resolutions at the United Nations and efforts by human rights organizations, Iran has clearly continued its campaign to prevent Baha'is from gaining access to higher education, even while they claim that no such discrimination exists.\n\n\"A serious effort by the government to end this injustice would be a first step towards showing the world its genuine commitment to international human rights standards and equal treatment of all its citizens regardless of their religious belief,\" said Ms. Ala'i."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Original documents"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Letter from Ministry to universities"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedPdfRecord","relatedPdfText":"[Document 1: Persian original](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/575/1_LetterFromMinistriesToUniversities.pdf) (Adobe Acrobat 597KB)","relatedPdfDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedPdfRecord","relatedPdfText":"[Document 1: English translation](http://dl.bahai.org/bwns/assets/documentlibrary/575/1_LetterFromMinistriesToUniversities_en.pdf) (Adobe Acrobat 46KB)","relatedPdfDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Background"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[History of persecution of Baha'is in Iran – 1844 to present: A short summary](http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"BWNS Story: [Confidential Iran memo exposes policy to deny Baha'i students university education](/story/575)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"BWNS Story: [Iranian Baha'i students shut out of vocational education](/story/570)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"BWNS Story: [Official character of Baha'i expulsions in Iranian university revealed](/story/510)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Persian"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Read this story in Persian](http://www.bahai.org/persian/persecution/newsreleases/31-01-08)","relatedLinkDescription":""}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":600,"evergreenUrl":"egypt-court-upholds-bahai-plea-religious-freedom-cases","title":"Egypt court upholds Baha'i plea in religious freedom cases","description":"In a victory for religious freedom, a lower administrative court here today ruled in favor of two lawsuits that sought to resolve the government's...","date":"2008-01-29","customDateline":null,"city":"CAIRO","country":"EGYPT","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498069-bwns8175-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498069-bwns8175-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"In a victory for religious freedom, a lower administrative court here today ruled in favor of two lawsuits that sought to resolve the government's contradictory policy on religious affiliation and identification papers.\n\nThe Court of Administrative Justice in Cairo upheld arguments made in two cases concerning Baha'is who have sought to restore their full citizenship rights by asking that they be allowed to leave the religious affiliation field blank on official documents.\n\n\"Given the degree to which issues of religious freedom stand at the heart of human rights issues in the Middle East, the world should cheer at the decision in these two cases today,\" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.\n\n\"The compromise offered by the Baha'is in these two cases opens the door to a way to reconcile a government policy that was clearly incompatible with international law -- as well as common sense,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\n\"Our hope now is that the government will quickly implement the court's decision and allow Baha'is once again to enjoy the full rights of citizenship to which they are duly entitled,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\nThe decisions today concerned two cases, both filed by Baha'is, over the issue of how they are to be identified on government documents.\n\nThe first case involves a lawsuit by the father of twin children, who is seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them. The second concerns a college student, who needs a national identity card to re-enroll in university.\n\nThe government requires all identification papers to list religious affiliation but restricts the choice to the three officially recognized religions -- Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Baha'is are thus unable to obtain identification papers because they refuse to lie about their religious affiliation.\n\nWithout national identify cards -- or, as in the case of the twin children, birth certificates -- Baha'is and others caught in the law's contradictory requirements are deprived of a wide range of citizenship rights, such as access to employment, education, and medical and financial services.\n\nThese problems were highlighted in a report issued in November by Human Rights Watch and the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).\n\n\"Employers, both public and private, by law cannot hire someone without an ID, and academic institutions require IDs for admission,\" said the report. \"Obtaining a marriage license or a passport requires a birth certificate; inheritance, pensions, and death benefits are contingent on death certificates. The Ministry of Health has even refused to provide immunizations to some Baha'i children because the Interior Ministry would not issue them birth certificates accurately listing their Baha'i religion.\"\n\nThe issuance of birth certificates is at the heart of the first case, which concerns 14-year-old twins Imad and Nancy Rauf Hindi. Their father, Rauf Hindi, obtained birth certificates that recognized their Baha'i affiliation when they were born.\n\nBut new policies require computer generated certificates, and the computer system locks out any religious affiliation but the three officially recognized religions. And without birth certificates, the children are unable to enroll in school in Egypt.\n\nThe second lawsuit was filed by the EIPR last February on behalf of 18-year-old Hussein Hosni Bakhit Abdel-Massih, who was suspended from the Suez Canal University's Higher Institute of Social Work in January 2006 due to his inability to obtain an identity card because of his refusal to falsely identify himself as either a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew.\n\nIn both cases, lawyers representing the Baha'is have made it clear that they were willing to settle for cards or documents on which the religious affiliation field is left blank or filled in, perhaps, as \"other.\"\n\nThis solution is what makes these two cases different from the lawsuit that was rejected by the Supreme Administrative Court last year. In that ruling, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected a decision by the lower that upheld the right of Baha'is to be properly identified on government documents.\n\nFor more information go to:\n\n[https://news.bahai.org/story/595](/story/595)\n\nand/or\n\n[http://www.bahai.org/persecution/egypt](http://www.bahai.org/persecution/egypt)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":599,"evergreenUrl":"amnesty-international-us-state-department-call-release-bahai-prisoners-iran","title":"Amnesty International, US State Department call for release of Baha'i prisoners in Iran","description":"In the wake of a US State Department call for Iran to release Baha'i prisoners, Amnesty International has issued an \"urgent action\" appeal on...","date":"2008-01-29","customDateline":null,"city":"GENEVA","country":"SWITZERLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498059-bwns8172-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498059-bwns8172-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Haleh Rouhi","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"In the wake of a US State Department call for Iran to release Baha'i prisoners, Amnesty International has issued an \"urgent action\" appeal on their behalf.\n\nThe three prisoners were taken into custody in Shiraz, Iran, last November and are serving a four-year sentence on charges connected entirely with their belief and practice in the Baha'i Faith.\n\n\"We urge the regime to release all individuals held without due process and a fair trial, including the three young Baha'i teachers being held in a Ministry of Intelligence detention center in Shiraz,\" said Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the State Department on 23 January 2008.\n\nAmnesty International issued its appeal on 25 January. It calls for human rights activists around the world to write directly to Iranian government officials on behalf of the Baha'i prisoners, asking why they have been detained and calling on authorities not to ill-treat or torture them.\n\n\"Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, Raha Sabet Sarvestani and Sasan Taqva, all Baha'is (a religious minority), have been detained by the Ministry of Intelligence in Shiraz since 19 November 2007,\" states the appeal, which was posted on Amnesty International's Web site on 25 January 2008.\n\n\"Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in Persian, Arabic, English or your own language,\" the appeal advises, \"stating that Amnesty International would consider them to be prisoners of conscience if they are detained because of their Baha'i faith... calling for their release if they are not to be charged with a recognizably criminal offence and brought to trial promptly and fairly\" and \"calling on the authorities not to torture or ill-treat them...\"\n\nThe Amnesty International appeal recounts the story of the three prisoners, who were initially part of a group of 54 Baha'is who were arrested in May 2006 as they took part in an effort to educate underprivileged children in Shiraz.\n\nMost of the 54 were released after a few days, although Ms. Rouhi, Ms. Sabet and Mr. Taqva were held for about a month. Then, in August 2007, 53 of those arrested were notified by a local court that they were accused of \"offenses relating to state security,\" according to the appeal.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Ms. Rouhi, Ms. Sabet and Mr. Taqva, moreover, were sentenced to four years in prison, although they remained out on bail. Then, on 19 November 2007, the three were told by telephone to go to the Ministry of Information office in Shiraz to retrieve items that had been confiscated in the May 2006 arrests. Instead, they were incarcerated.\n\n\"When they did not return home, family members who had accompanied them were given conflicting information by intelligence officials,\" says the appeal. \"The officials tried to claim that the three had not entered the building, even though their relatives had seen them do so. Eventually, their relatives were informed that the three were still being held at the Office of the Ministry of Intelligence in Shiraz.\"\n\nThe appeal lists the ages of the prisoners as follows: Ms. Rouhi, 29; Ms. Sabet, 33; and Mr. Taqva, 32.\n\nAccording to the AI Web site, urgent action appeals are transmitted to a network of more than 100,000 human rights activists in 70 countries.\n\nDiane Ala'i, the representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations in Geneva, said that the BIC is gravely concerned for the welfare of the three Baha'i prisoners.\n\n\"We hope that the urgent action appeal from Amnesty International, as a signal from human rights defenders worldwide, and the US State Department's statement, will help resolve their unjust detentions,\" she said.\n\nMs. Ala'i said the appeal was especially timely because Mr. Taqva has an injured leg, from an automobile accident before his imprisonment, which requires medical attention.\n\n\"The problem with his leg is extremely serious and painful,\" said Ms. Ala'i. \"It is understood that he requires surgery to remove a metal pin that had been inserted previously.\"\n\nMs. Ala'i said that charges against the three, rather than involving any legitimate concern over \"state security\" stem entirely from accusations by the court that the Baha'is had been involved in the \"indirect teaching\" of the Baha'i Faith.\n\n\"In fact,\" said Ms. Ala'i, \"the three individuals were engaged in an effort to help underprivileged children in their city, through a program of training that emphasizes moral virtues.\n\n\"It is mind-boggling that the government of Iran would consider such efforts to be any type of threat -- and wholly unwarranted that such activities should result in lengthy prison sentence.\n\n\"There is no doubt that these three are prisoners of conscience, held solely because of their belief in and practice of the Baha'i Faith,\" said Ms. Ala'i. \"We know this because among those arrested in May 2006 were some individuals who are not Baha'is. They were released within a day and have never faced charges.\"\n\nThe US State Department statement also took note of the \"death under suspicious circumstances\" of Ebrahim Lotfallahi, an Iranian student of Kurdish descent detained by the Ministry of Intelligence on January 6. \"We call on Iranian authorities to conduct a full investigation,\" said Mr. McCormack. His statement also expressed concern over the continued detention of three Amir Kabir University students.\n\nThe Amnesty International appeal can be read in full at: [http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/MDE13/017/2008](http://www.amnesty.org/en/report/info/MDE13/017/2008)\n\nThe US Department of State statement can be read at:\n\n[http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/jan/99632.htm](http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/jan/99632.htm)\n\n[Read this story in Persian](http://news.persian-bahai.org/story)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498059-bwns8173-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Sasan Taqva"},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498059-bwns8174-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Raha Sabet"}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":598,"evergreenUrl":"peoples-theater-from-germany-goes-international","title":"People's Theater from Germany goes international","description":"After six years of perfecting a technique that combines drama and discussion as a means to communicate with youth, a German theater group has...","date":"2008-01-20","customDateline":null,"city":"OFFENBACH","country":"GERMANY","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498038-bwns8170-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498038-bwns8170-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A member of the audience responds to a dilemma presented in a skit by People's Theater of Offenbach, Germany. The drama group, which performs in schools in several European countries, incorporates ideas from the children into its performance.","imageStyle":"large-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"After six years of perfecting a technique that combines drama and discussion as a means to communicate with youth, a German theater group has gone international.\n\nIndividuals or agencies in four countries have commissioned People's Theater to give performances or offer training in the technique, said Erfan Diebel, one of the  administrators of the drama group. In the coming months, the troupe also expects to perform in at least three additional nations, he said.\n\nThe technique involves a cast of young, amateur actors presenting a skit that highlights a common problem among youth, such as negative peer pressure, lack of patience with others, or backbiting. At a critical moment in the drama, the action is frozen and the audience discusses how one might respond to the situation.\n\nIn Luxembourg, officials at the Ministry of Education think the method shows enough promise that they commissioned People's Theater to train 17 staff members from various schools around the country, then take a tour of some of  the schools to show the program in action.\n\n\"During role play, actual life situations are simulated and experienced,\" Patrick Wesquet, a social educator from the ministry, said of the program. \"The player tries to act according to his role. He ... experiences the feelings and thoughts of the others, learns to accept them in their roles, and develops empathy.\"\n\nAfter the pause in action in the skit and the audience discussion, the actors, with help from the students, try to act out some of the suggestions.\n\n\"The young people ... recognize themselves in the role and whether or why their suggestion has contributed to the resolution of the conflict,\" Mr. Wesquet said.\n\nBesides Germany and Luxembourg, countries where People's Theater is giving performances or providing training include Austria, Liechtenstein, and Israel. Additional shows are set for the United Kingdom, Serbia, and Switzerland, Mr. Diebel said.\n\nMr. Diebel and some of the others involved in the project are members of the Baha'i Faith and say part of their motivation is to put into practice the teachings of their religion about social justice and moral leadership.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"MORE DETAILS\n\nMr. Wesquet of the Education Ministry in Luxembourg noted that the role of schools in the life of young people seems to be growing.\n\n\"More and more frequently, schools are no longer seen as being merely a place for learning, but also a place for living,\" he said. \"The teachers and the staff of the school psychological services are able to assume an increasingly important role alongside the parents.\"\n\n\"The aim of this project is to promote the personal and social skills of young people,\" he said.\n\n\"During adolescence young people have to cope with a variety of challenges, such as establishing more mature relationships with their peers, developing an ethical system of values, practicing socially responsible behavior, adopting male/female gender roles, emotional independence from parents and other adults, preparation for marriage, family and a profession, and acceptance of their own physical appearance,\" he continued.\n\n\"The theater offers a great opportunity to try out these demands in a 'playful' way,\" he said.\n\nPeter Schumacher, who was involved in bringing People's Theater to Austria, explains it this way: \"Especially during puberty, teenagers tend to hide their insecurities behind a mask of coolness and arrogance. In a game situation, however, a young person is totally confronted by himself and his personality.\"\n\n\"Such an experience is very moving,\" added Dr. Schumacher, who is the head of the youth department the Tyrolean Chamber of Labor. The chamber sponsored a function where Tyrolean school directors were invited to see People's Theater perform.\n\nAfterwards the school directors asked the chamber to have the drama group return to Austria for presentations at eight vocational schools, Mr. Diebel said.\n\nReaction\n\nMr. Diebel says there is strong anecdotal evidence that the program is effective. For example, the group heard from a teacher in Germany a week after People's Theater had done a drama presentation called \"Apple Pie\" that addressed the human quality of patience - the teacher said that afterwards, whenever the students behaved impatiently, she merely said the words \"Apple Pie\" and immediately they corrected their behavior.\n\n\"I will keep everything in my head,\" wrote a youngster from another school who watched a performance. \"It's something that is easy to imitate.\"\n\nAnother youth described a personal response during the program: \"I was contemplating a lot, and I also raised my hand a lot.\"\n\nStill another student said, \"I like that you stop the skit when there is a problem, so that we can solve it.\"\n\nMr. Diebel said one key to the success of the program is that the actors are very young - usually between 18 and 25 years old - making it easier for children and youth to relate to them.\n\n\"All of you are very cool,\" wrote one young fan to the troupe.\n\nBackground\n\nPeople's Theater was started by in 2001 by Erfan Enayati of Offenbach. He got the concept of stopping the action to allow for audience discussion from a Russian television program, \"The Happy Hippo Show,\" developed by Shamil Fattakhov, a member of the Baha'i Faith who lives in Kazan, Russia.\n\nSupport for People's Theater comes from foundations, schools and the City and District of Offenbach, along with a host of other organizations, companies and individuals, Mr. Diebel said.\n\nThe performers are young people who volunteer to be a part of the program for a year, he said."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498043-59801.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498038-59802.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498043-59803.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498040-59804.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498038-59805.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498038-59806.jpg"},"imageDescription":""},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543498042-59807.jpg"},"imageDescription":""}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":597,"evergreenUrl":"egypt-religious-freedom-cases-continued-22-january","title":"Egypt religious freedom cases continued to 22 January","description":"Court hearings on two lawsuits filed by Baha'is over the government's policy on religious affiliation and national identity papers have been...","date":"2007-12-25","customDateline":null,"city":"CAIRO","country":"EGYPT","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Court hearings on two lawsuits filed by Baha'is over the government's policy on religious affiliation and national identity papers have been continued until 22 January 2008.\n\nThe two cases, the first by the father of twin children who is seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them and the second by a college student who needs a national identity card to re-enroll in university, had been set for \"final judgment\" by the Court of Administrative Justice in Cairo today.\n\nBut the hearings were unexpectedly postponed. The court indicated it is still deliberating on the cases.\n\nThe cases both arise from the fact that the Egyptian government requires all identification papers to list religious affiliation but then restricts the choice to the three officially recognized religions – Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Baha'is are thus unable to obtain identification papers because they refuse to lie about their religious affiliation.\n\nWithout national identity cards -- or, as in the case of the twin children, birth certificates – Baha'is and others caught in the law's contradictory requirements are deprived of a wide range of citizenship rights, such as access to employment, education, and medical and financial services.\n\n(Update: On 22 January 2008, it was announced that the cases had been continued until 29 January 2008.)"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":596,"evergreenUrl":"beyond-expectations-weekly-gathering-surprises-hosts","title":"Beyond expectations: Weekly gathering surprises hosts","description":"A couple of neighbors in this southern U.S. city have been throwing a weekly \"spiritual party\" - a prayer meeting - and the reaction to it has...","date":"2007-12-25","customDateline":false,"city":"COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1645966278-beyond-expectations-weekly-gathering-surprises-hosts-00.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1645966278-beyond-expectations-weekly-gathering-surprises-hosts-00.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A view of Columbia, South Carolina, United States. (Credit: Akhenaton06/Wikipedia [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/))","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A couple of neighbors in this southern U.S. city have been throwing a weekly \"spiritual party\" - a prayer meeting - and the reaction to it has surprised them.\n\n\"When the devotional gathering started, all our friends just came out of the woodwork,\" said J. B. Frush-Marple, who with his friend Oak Ritchie co-hosts the meetings at Mr. Ritchie's house.\n\n\"People who I never would have thought would be receptive to prayer were just energized by it,\" said Mr. Frush-Marple, 33.\n\nThree people came to the first gathering a year ago, and regular attendance now is about 15. Once 25 people showed up. Some are neighbors, some are friends, some are friends of friends.\n\nThe pair are usually the only Baha'is. Others are Christian - both Protestant and Catholic - and still others don't label their religion, or perhaps would say they are unbelievers.\n\nThe gatherings are held each Tuesday and begin with a simple dinner prepared by the two friends, followed by devotions. Usually Mr. Ritchie, a professional musician, starts by singing a Baha'i prayer. Sometimes people sing with him.\n\nThen others say prayers. Some read verses from Baha'i prayer books available at the gathering. Others say prayers from their own religious tradition. Still others pray in their own words.\n\nMr. Ritchie, 28, said the comfortable environment of his home helps the guests relax and get into the experience of prayer.\n\n\"It's not an unfriendly building somewhere. It's not a church, or a Baha'i Center. It's my home. It's like a spiritual party where everyone is noticed,\" said Mr. Ritchie, who is known as \"Oak.\"\n\nLloyce Nelson is a neighbor who has gotten to know the two men only in the past year but said she feels like she has known them forever.\n\n\"I love the fact that they are open to people of all religions to come, pray, talk and examine their lives,\" said Ms. Nelson, who is a Christian.\n\n\"Prayer is an intimate thing,\" she said. \"In sharing that intimacy you become closer to people.\"\n\nMr. Ritchie said his friends like coming to the gatherings because they provide a place where people can explore some of the deeper aspects of themselves yet the format isn't complicated.\n\n\"It's the simplicity of the gathering that people like,\" said Mr. Ritchie. \"You know, coming together to break bread and say prayers with each other.\"\n\nJustin H. Williams has attended the gatherings. He is a blind man that describes himself as a \"wandering warrior.\" He also clearly identifies himself as a Christian.\n\n\"People are afraid of what they don't know,\" Mr. Williams said. \"But there is nothing to be afraid of here. Getting together to say prayers, singing, talking and having dinner shouldn't scare anyone! Sometimes I'll notice that I'm the only Christian there, but it's still okay.\"\n\nMr. Williams said that these meetings create an environment that helps people become closer.\n\n\"This is one of the only times that praying with a group has brought me closer to them,\" he said. \"I believe that with a Baha'i Faith devotional you are going to be closer to people than you can be at other prayer meetings. Because it is more intimate. There are only a couple of you in that room and you really get to know each other on another level - a spiritual level.\"\n\nMr. Frush-Marple, who himself became a Baha'i about a year ago, said the meetings are easy to host.\n\n\"To tell you the truth, all we prepare for them is food,\" he said. \"Oak and I will put out prayer books and things, but the experience on the night is really an organic one. People are able to go with what they are feeling.\n\n\"I think we associate group prayer with a ritualistic practice,\" he said. \"But here it's just our souls communing together. These meetings present a different paradigm when it comes to community prayer.\"\n\nThe gatherings have a noticeable effect on people, said Mr. Ritchie.\n\n\"At the end of the meeting you can see a serenity in people - you just know they are at peace,\" he said. \"When people that experience this together meet in other places they can fall right back into that serenity. It's a new kind of comfort with people. It's like the type of comfort two people that have been through a lot of tests and trials have with each other.\"\n\nMs. Nelson said she has noticed changes around the neighborhood, too.\n\n\"I've seen some positive changes in some of the young people,\" she said. \"There is one young man I know that tells me no matter what is going on in his life, and there is a lot going on, he always feels better leaving the meeting than he did when he went in.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":595,"evergreenUrl":"egyptian-court-rule-new-religious-freedom-cases","title":"Egyptian court to rule on new religious freedom cases","description":"A court is expected to rule early next week on two cases related to the government's policy on religious affiliation and national identity papers,...","date":"2007-12-20","customDateline":null,"city":"CAIRO","country":"EGYPT","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497992-bwns8106-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497992-bwns8106-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A court is expected to rule early next week on two cases related to the government's policy on religious affiliation and national identity papers, an issue that has been hotly debated here in recent months and a focus of international human rights concerns.\n\nThe first case involves a lawsuit by the father of twin children, who is seeking to obtain proper birth certificates for them. The second concerns a college student, who needs a national identity card to re-enroll in university.\n\nBoth are set for \"final judgment\" by the Court of Administrative Justice in Cairo on 25 December 2007. In both cases, the individuals involved are unable to obtain government identification papers because they are Baha'is.\n\n\"The world has increasingly come to understand the basic injustice imposed by the Egyptian government's policies on religious affiliation and official documents -- and the court has before it in these two cases the chance once again to right that wrong,\" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community.\n\n\"Last year, under pressure from Muslim fundamentalists, the Supreme Administrative Court rejected a lower court decision that had required the government to include the word 'Baha'i' on official documents. These two new cases offer a compromise solution, asking merely that the religious affiliation field be left blank or filled in with the word 'other,'\" added Ms. Dugal.\n\nThe government requires all identification papers to list religious affiliation but then restricts the choice to the three officially recognized religions -- Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Baha'is are thus unable to obtain identification papers because they refuse to lie about their religious affiliation.\n\nWithout national identity cards -- or, as in the case of the twin children, birth certificates -- Baha'is and others caught in the law's contradictory requirements are deprived of a wide range of citizenship rights, such as access to employment, education, and medical and financial services.\n\nThese problems were highlighted in a report issued in November by Human Rights Watch and the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR).\n\n\"Employers, both public and private, by law cannot hire someone without an ID, and academic institutions require IDs for admission,\" said the report. \"Obtaining a marriage license or a passport requires a birth certificate; inheritance, pensions, and death benefits are contingent on death certificates. The Ministry of Health has even refused to provide immunizations to some Baha'i children because the Interior Ministry would not issue them birth certificates accurately listing their Baha'i religion.\"\n\nThe issuance of birth certificates is at the heart of the first case, which concerns 14-year-old twins Imad and Nancy Rauf Hindi. Their father, Rauf Hindi, obtained birth certificates that recognized their Baha'i affiliation when they were born.\n\nBut new policies require computer generated certificates, and the computer system locks out any religious affiliation but the three officially recognized religions. And without birth certificates, the children are unable to enroll in school in Egypt.\n\nThe second lawsuit was filed by the EIPR last February on behalf of 18-year-old Hussein Hosni Bakhit Abdel-Massih, who was suspended from the Suez Canal University's Higher Institute of Social Work in January 2006 due to his inability to obtain an identity card because of his refusal to falsely identify himself as either a Muslim, a Christian, or a Jew.\n\nIn both cases, lawyers representing the Baha'is have made it clear that they are willing to settle for cards or documents on which the religious affiliation field is left blank or filled in, perhaps, as \"other.\"\n\nThis solution is what makes these two cases different from the lawsuit that was rejected by the Supreme Administrative Court last year, said Hossam Baghat, director of the EIPR.\n\n\"The negative ruling by the Supreme Administrative Court has forced us to file these new cases,\" said Mr. Baghat, whose organization has been at the forefront of defending Egyptian Baha'is in this controversy. \"The facts are extremely similar to the case that we lost last year, but we are calling this time for documents without any religious affiliation.\n\n\"For us, this is really the test for the government and the judiciary on this issue. Because if the main problem is the fact that the Baha'i Faith is not recognized in Egypt, then there should be no grounds for them to deny these Egyptian citizens documents that are necessary for their daily life without any reference to religion.\"\n\nMr. Baghat said the cases also have implications for religious freedom in general in Egypt.\n\n\"So far, the problem only affects Egyptian Baha'is, but the same problem could arise in theory with Egyptians who are adherents of Buddhism or Hinduism,\" said Mr. Baghat. \"But it is also important for people who do not wish to be identified with any religion, which is a right guaranteed by both Egyptian and international law.\"\n\nFor Egyptian Baha'is, the facts of life on the ground continue to deteriorate in the absence of a solution, said Labib Hanna, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Baha'i community.\n\n\"We are not able to do anything without valid identification papers,\" said Dr. Hanna, who is a professor of mathematics at Cairo University. \"We cannot renew a driver's license, we cannot obtain permanent employment, and we cannot send our children to school.\"\n\nHe said many Baha'is are able to meet the needs of daily life by taking temporary positions, dealing with banks, schools, or other institutions where they have an established relationship, or by continuing to use old, paper-based identification cards that allowed for other options in the religious affiliation field.\n\n\"We are trying to survive,\" said Dr. Hanna. \"But it is difficult. We are struggling.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":594,"evergreenUrl":"un-general-assembly-expresses-deep-concern-about-human-rights-iran-2007","title":"U.N. General Assembly expresses \"deep concern\" about human rights in Iran","description":"The United Nations General Assembly yesterday adopted a resolution expressing \"deep concern\" about \"ongoing systematic violations of human rights\"...","date":"2007-12-19","customDateline":null,"city":"UNITED NATIONS","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1687959778-bwns-default-missing-image-endslate-still-8-1-1.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"The United Nations General Assembly yesterday adopted a resolution expressing \"deep concern\" about \"ongoing systematic violations of human rights\" in Iran.\n\nAdopted by a final vote of 73 to 53, with 55 abstentions, the resolution took note of repression and persecution aimed by the Iranian government at groups ranging from women and women's rights defenders to the news media and labor groups, as well as various ethnic and religious minorities, including Baha'is.\n\n\"We are happy that the General Assembly, the most globally representative body of United Nations, has seen fit once again this year to call attention to the dire situation in Iran, where Baha'is and other groups continue to face oppression and persecution by the government,\" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.\n\n\"Our hope now is that the Iranian government will heed the opinion of the international community and stop the systematic violation of human rights directed against its own people,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\nThe resolution, put forward by Canada and co-sponsored by 41 other countries, describes the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, expressing \"serious concern\" about \"confirmed instances\" of \"torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations\"; public executions, including stoning, and \"arrests, violent repression, and sentencing of women exercising their right to peaceful assembly, a campaign of intimidation against women's human rights defenders, and continuing discrimination against women and girls.\"\n\nThe resolution, the 20th on Iran since 1985, also notes \"increasing discrimination and other human rights violations against persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities\" including Arabs, Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, Jews, Sufis and Sunni Muslims and Baha'is.\n\nRegarding Baha'is, the resolution notes particularly that there have been \"attacks on Baha'is and their faith in State-sponsored media, increasing evidence of efforts by the State to identify and monitor Baha'is and prevention of (Baha'is) from attending university and from sustaining themselves economically; an increase in cases of arbitrary arrest and detention.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":593,"evergreenUrl":"finnish-tv-talk-show-host-finds-success-unconventional-approach","title":"Finnish TV talk show host finds success in unconventional approach","description":"Television talk shows often use conflict as their formula to win viewers, but a young producer in Finland is making a go of it with a different...","date":"2007-12-09","customDateline":null,"city":"HELSINKI","country":"FINLAND","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497968-bwns8097-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497968-bwns8097-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"\"Härkää Sarvista,\" or \"Grab the Bull by the Horns\" pulls together a group of what it calls consultants to address an issue that an individual has raised.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Television talk shows often use conflict as their formula to win viewers, but a young producer in Finland is making a go of it with a different model.\n\nOn his Monday night program, Aram Aflatuni presents a problem, then has a panel of experts try to solve it using consultation and cooperation.\n\n\"I don't believe in confrontational journalism,\" he says. \"I do not think that it is an effective way of finding solutions.\"\n\nHis hour-long show - \"Harkaa Sarvista,\" or \"Grab the Bull by the Horns\" - this week wraps up its first season of 15 episodes and has attracted as many as 345,000 viewers. Average viewership was 220,000 - 20 percent of the TV audience for its time period.\n\nIn Finland, TV shows often look for confrontation and \"sometimes quite aggressive debate,\" said Juho-Pekka Rantala, a television executive who works on this show and others. \"'Harkaa Sarvista' is different. It is looking for solutions.\"\n\nViewers are invited to submit an issue for consultation. If chosen, the person goes on the air and presents the problem to the panel.\n\nMr. Aflatuni, 31, is a member of the Baha'i Faith and said he tries to use part of a consultation model used by Baha'is as the starting point for his show.\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"It is a model that asks participants to remain personally detached from the ideas presented as everyone seeks a single truth or best outcome. No one \"owns\" or takes credit or blame for any idea offered during the consultation.\n\n\"It's a brave show because it is different,\" said Laura Jansson, a psychologist and human relations specialist who has appeared on the program.\n\n\"In principle, the consultative model is a key to the show's success,\" said Mrs. Jansson, who is a Baha'i. But viewers and even participants generally are unaware of the principles behind what is going on. More obvious, she said, is the skill of the host in guiding the conversation.\n\n\"People in the world  today are very egotistical,\" she said. \"They try and push everything through themselves and make themselves look good.... Aram keeps people focused on the issue and not themselves.\"\n\nImmigration, asylum, schizophrenia, boss-employee relations, intercultural communication, and health care issues are among the subjects that have been addressed.\n\nOne week, a young refugee from Eritrea who was facing deportation appeared on the program and outlined his predicament. To weigh solutions, Mr. Aflatuni had gathered a lawyer, a clergyman, a psychologist, the head of a nongovernmental agency, a politician, and another refugee.\n\nThe discussion revealed some facts and produced some ideas, including a suggestion from the other refugee that the young man could go underground and thus avoid deportation. Not surprisingly, other panel members didn't feel that was the best idea - going underground is illegal and also psychologically harmful.\n\nThe panel suggested ways that the man might be able to stay in Finland legally and also talked about how he could prepare himself for the possibility of deportation.\n\nIt turned out that although the young immigrant had been working, his employment had not been deemed full-time and had not satisfied the authorities.\n\nIt wasn't anything that a good lawyer couldn't fix by talking to the various parties, and several attorneys indeed came forward after the show and offered their services free of charge. The young man no longer faces imminent deportation, and his case is being reconsidered by the authorities, Mr. Aflatuni said.\n\nMORE DETAILS\n\nStill, Mr. Aflatuni's goal with the program is to go beyond resolving the dilemma of one individual and shed a broader light on society.\n\n\"One aspect of the show is to raise awareness of humanitarian issues,\" he said, noting that sometimes this means \"putting pressure on the system\" by informing the public of difficult situations or outright injustices.\n\n\"People have an inflated idea of the human rights situation in Finland,\" he said.\n\nOne unusual program addressed the subject of triplets, and the difficulties of parents of modest means trying to cope with three newborn babies.\n\n\"A woman from the Triplets' Association came on the show and said you really cannot do it without help,\" Mr. Aflatuni related. Also invited to speak was the father of a set of young triplets, and some 30-year-old triplets who described the experience of their family.\n\nAs a result of the program, one Finnish city changed its policy for public aid and will provide a helper five days a week for one family with three new babies, Mr. Aflatuni said.\n\nFuture TV plans\n\nMr. Aflatuni is determined to continue exploring the use of consultation on television as a way to resolve problems, but he says the challenges are stiff.\n\n\"There is pressure on me to change the show and make it more confrontational,\" he acknowledges. \"But I think this will kill the spirit of the show. If you bring negative elements in, you destroy this consultative model that we are developing.\"\n\nHe remembers one show where he invited doctors and nurses to discuss a health-care crisis, but tempers were short and people indeed became confrontational.\n\n\"It is too hard to find a solution under those circumstances,\" he said.\n\nHe said he had better success with a program that featured a 32-year-old convict who was being released from prison after 10 years. The man seemed serious about going straight but felt overwhelmed by a large debt that he owed.\n\nOn the program, the panel of experts counseled him to dismiss thoughts of the debt for the time-being and concentrate on getting a job. They also coached him about the way he seemed to cultivate his \"tough-guy\" image rather than exhibiting the humility that would help him in the working world.\n\n\"He still has an attitude problem,\" Mr. Aflatuni said, recounting that the man had found a job but then lost it. \"Harkaa Sarvista\" might revisit the case for a discussion of where things had gone wrong and how they might be made aright.\n\nThe idea of following a problem, periodically evaluating how the supposed solutions are working, and changing course or adjusting details as needed, is part of Mr. Aflatuni's vision for the program.\n\nHe said his biggest challenge as producer stems from his program being based on an untried concept.\n\n\"We don't have examples of a show like this on TV,\" he said. \"It would have been easier to use an older show as a model. But as it is, we are the people that are creating the model.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497969-bwns8096-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Aram Aflatuni, seen here on the set of his late night prime time show, has been working on television for 11 years."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":592,"evergreenUrl":"violence-against-women-needs-global-attention-says-panel-un","title":"Violence against women needs global attention, says panel at the U.N.","description":"Government and civil society representatives called for renewed attention to the issue of preventing violence against women in a panel discussion...","date":"2007-12-06","customDateline":null,"city":"UNITED NATIONS","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497951-bwns8095-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497951-bwns8095-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Panel members at a U.N. discussion about violence against women include, from left, Michael L. Penn, Fabien Fieschi, moderator Carolyn Hannan, Hedda Samson, and Mike Wessells.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Government and civil society representatives called for renewed attention to the issue of preventing violence against women in a panel discussion here this week.\n\nThe discussion, which was organized by the Baha'i International Community and the Christian Children's Fund in cooperation with the U.N. missions of France and the Netherlands, looked at ways that national and local communities around the world can intensify efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women.\n\n\"Despite significant progress, violence against women and girls continues to be a global problem,\" said Fulya Vekiloglu, director of the Baha'i International Community's Office for the Advancement of Women. \"So the effort to organize this discussion is one way to help keep this on the agenda of governments and nongovernmental organizations, and especially to focus on the implementation of recent international agreements to fight and prevent violence against women.\"\n\nPanelists included Fabien Fieschi, first secretary of the Permanent Mission of France to the U.N.; Hedda Samson, first secretary of the Permanent Mission of the Netherlands to the U.N.; Mike Wessells, senior child protection adviser of the Christian Children's Fund; and Michael L. Penn, an associate professor of psychology at Franklin and Marshall College, who represented the Baha'i International Community.\n\nThe discussion was moderated by Carolyn Hannan, director of the U.N.'s Division for the Advancement of Women, UN/DESA.\n\nMr. Fieschi outlined the importance of a resolution passed by the U.N. General Assembly last year that called for governments and civil society to take stronger measures to eliminate violence against women.\n\nThe 2006 resolution was intensely negotiated, he said, but was nevertheless adopted by consensus. \"The resolution also recognized the important role of civil society in the fight against violence against women,\" he said.\n\nMs. Samson noted that the 2006 resolution places important obligations on states to \"prevent, investigate, and punish\" violence against women.\n\nShe noted, however, that it also emphasizes preventive measures, such as training for health workers, teachers, law enforcement personnel, and others.\n\nMr. Wessells stressed the importance of engaging religious and community leaders in efforts to change social norms that allow violence against women and girls.\n\nCommunities and prevailing attitudes can be \"significant barriers\" to reducing violence against women, but \"communities can also be vital supports for women,\" he said.\n\nDr. Penn talked about the importance of strategies aimed at changing old patterns of thinking in men, boys, and communities.\n\nIn particular, he said, legal measures to eradicate violence against women should be accompanied by local, national, and international initiatives that cultivate and inspire the human spirit and promote a consciousness of the \"dignity and nobility of all people.\"\n\nHe emphasized that everyone has a responsibility to fight practices and attitudes that lead to violence against women. As an example, he discussed the problem of pornography becoming accepted as a legitimate form of entertainment.\n\n\"The trend towards the marketing and commercialization of pornography around the world is one that ought to concern governments, NGOs, and local communities,\" said Dr. Penn. A number of studies have shown that pornography socializes men into relations with women and girls that are \"dangerous for their psychological, social, physical, and moral health,\" he said."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":591,"evergreenUrl":"in-ghana-innovative-literacy-program-brings-dramatic-results","title":"In Ghana, innovative literacy program brings dramatic results","description":"For years, Owusu Ansah Malik thought his native language, Twi, was second-rate. English, the national language of Ghana, was emphasized at his...","date":"2007-12-04","customDateline":null,"city":"GONUKROM VILLAGE","country":"GHANA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497299-bwns8090-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497299-bwns8090-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Students from the Anyinabrim Methodist Primary School are among the thousands who use the \"Enlightening the Hearts\" literacy program in Ghana.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"For years, Owusu Ansah Malik thought his native language, Twi, was second-rate. English, the national language of Ghana, was emphasized at his school.\n\nBut a program that offers instruction, books, and mentoring in Twi has helped the 16-year-old see the value of his mother tongue – and improved his English literacy at the same time.\n\n\"I thought our Ghanaian language was too poor to be learned, since its teaching was not encouraged,\" said Owusu, who is in Class Eight at the Gonukrom Junior Secondary School. \"But with this program, I realized that our language is rich and can be learned. It has also helped me to read English easily.\"\n\nOwusu is one of 22,000 students in Ghana who have participated in the \"Enlightening the Hearts\" literacy program, which is aimed at helping young people age 9 to 15 read and write in their own language.\n\nOperated by the Olinga Foundation for Human Development, a Baha'i-inspired nongovernmental organization, the program has offered training in more than 260 remote primary and junior secondary schools in Ghana's Western Region since 2000.\n\nBy all accounts Enlightening the Hearts is highly successful, helping to triple the literacy rates among participants and winning praise from students, parents, teachers, and government education officials.\n\n\"The methodology makes it so simple to acquire language skills,\" said Samson Boakye, a teacher at the Anyinabrim primary school. \"The syllabic approach is excellent. Then there is transfer of knowledge from the Ghanaian language to the English language. Children are therefore reading the English language fluently.\"\n\nAlong with its distinctive method for teaching literacy, the program also incorporates elements of moral education by emphasizing virtues drawn from religious scriptures – another feature that has drawn praise.\n\n\"Why I like this program mostly is the moral aspect of the book which will no doubt help children to become good citizens in the future,\" said Ayyub Yaku Aidoo, a teacher at the Samreboi primary school.\n\nThe origins of the project go back to 1996, when the Baha'i community of Ghana initiated a literacy campaign. It was handed off to the Olinga Foundation in 2001. The foundation itself was started by a group of Baha'i educators in 2000.\n\nThe foundation was named after Enoch Olinga, one of the first Africans to accept the Baha'i Faith. Its mission is to promote universal basic education, to empower young people, and, according to its Web site, \"to build the capacities needed to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization on the African continent.\"\n\nIn addition to the Enlightening the Hearts literacy campaign, the Olinga Foundation has three other programs: (1) a capacity-building program for community leaders, (2) community-development facilitator training, and (3) a junior youth empowerment project.\n\nIn all of its programs, the foundation draws on Baha'i social and spiritual principles, emphasizing specifically the equality of women and men, the right to universal basic education, and the need to eliminate prejudice.\n\nAt present, the literacy program reaches the largest population, and has drawn the most attention. \"This is our main program,\" said Leslie Casely-Hayford, director of the foundation. \"We believe literacy and moral education are essential to the progress and development of society.\"\n\nThe literacy project currently operates in two districts in the Western Region, Wasa Amenfi West and Wasa Amenfi East, and plans are well advanced to offer the program in a district in Ghana's Eastern Region. The focus is on remote and underserved school populations.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"The program places great emphasis on reaching children in deprived-area schools, which are often off the main road,\" said Dr. Casely-Hayford.\n\nOnce schools are selected, the foundation provides specialized training and on-site supervision for teachers, and books and other materials for students. About 40 to 50 schools are chosen each year.\n\nThe program has had impressive results. In its own surveys of select schools, the project found that the average baseline literacy rate from 2002-2006 was about 17 percent. Among those students who were tested after completing the 10-month program, the literacy rate averaged 52 percent.\n\n\"That represents a tripling of the literacy rate,\" said Dr. Casely-Hayford, noting that a 2004 World Bank report indicated that literacy among Ghanaian children in primary school is extremely low. By one measure, the report said, fewer than five percent of students showed mastery of English in 2000.\n\nAn evaluation by the district education office found that students in schools participating in the program also performed exceptionally well in the Ghanaian language subject section of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).\n\nThe project's success, said Dr. Casely-Hayford and others, stems largely from its practice of using the local language as the language for literacy instruction.\n\n\"Experience over the last five years in three language groups – Twi, Ewe, and Dagbani – has proven that this approach speeds the learner's ability to acquire basic literacy skills, and increases their confidence by using a phonetic and syllabic approach,\" said Dr. Casely-Hayford.\n\nLeonard Nubuasah, national program coordinator for the Olinga Foundation, said that many children quickly become literate during the nine-month program.\n\n\"The children can transfer their knowledge of literacy in their own language easily into the English language,\" said Mr. Nubuasah, a former teacher who has been with Olinga for five years.\n\nAnother key to the program's effectiveness is the motivational impulse generated by the emphasis on moral education and the use of the Holy Writings of the three major religions practiced in the region.\n\n\"Access to Holy Writings can also stimulate individual and collective transformation,\" said Dr. Casely-Hayford. \"It also ensures human capacity development such that a child's full potential is realized.\"\n\nThe moral values discussed in the workbooks are patience, honesty, trustworthiness, love, humility, obedience, purity, kindness, and modesty.\n\n\"We used these nine virtues because they are highly embedded in our Ghanaian society at the local level,\" said Mr. Nubuasah. \"The Christian preachers talk about them, the Muslims discuss them, and they are also found in the Baha'i Faith. These are the three main religions here, and these virtues are the building blocks for our children.\"\n\nMr. Nubuasah said that another sign of the project's success is that about 75 percent of the schools that have participated in the nine-month program have continued to use the methodology.\n\n\"We know this because every year we continue to supply these schools with books, and we continue to monitor the program by visiting each school – if they are not too remote – two or three times a year,\" said Mr. Nubuasah.\n\nLast year, Michael Nsowah, acting director general of the Ghana Education Service, wrote a letter recommending that other educational districts in Ghana consider adopting the Olinga Foundation's literacy program.\n\n\"They have been highly effective in the regions they have worked in,\" said Mr. Nsowah. \"They have increased reading and literacy levels and brought values into the learning environment. All my regional offices were happy with their work.\"\n\n\"They do a lot of work in remote places that are difficult to access. They provide both learning materials and skills development. This is an important thing for a country like Ghana that does not have too much money,\" said Mr. Nsowah.\n\n**Cost-effective**\n\nBecause of its emphasis on cost-effectiveness, the program has been able to reach large numbers of children through teacher training and the provision of literacy materials. According to Dr. Casely-Hayford, it costs about US$300 to open a program in a new school and support that school for one year.\n\nThe project receives most of its support from the Baha'i International Community's Office of Social and Economic Development. It has also received support from the Canadian International Development Agency, the National Spiritual Assembly of Ghana, and the North American Women's Association of Ghana, along with several other groups and individuals across the world.\n\nThe emphasis on providing specialized training to teachers is another factor in the program's success.\n\nTo date the program has trained over 350 primary and junior secondary school teachers. The training has two main goals: encouraging and enabling teachers to improve the quality of education in schools through better literacy instruction and to introduce the concepts of moral education and personal transformation.\n\nMr. Nubuasah said many teachers were at first unmotivated and unsure about how to teach children how to read and write, especially using the local language.\n\n\"But the Holy Writings of the Baha'i Faith, especially, speak about the importance of education and the station of teachers,\" said Mr. Nubuasah. \"This becomes a source of motivation.\"\n\nEntwi Bosiako, the head teacher at the Gonukrom primary school, said the methodology taught by the Olinga Foundation was simple and easy to use, as were the textbooks.\n\n\"This has motivated me to teach the Ghanaian language,\" said Mr. Bosiako, 39. \"The Holy Writings used for reflections during the training workshop are also a source of inspiration and motivation.\"\n\nDistrict education officials say the program's success extends beyond the simple promotion of literacy.\n\n\"Our students have had problems with reading,\" said Nana Bobbie, assistant director of the Wassa Amenfi West district education office. \"When Olinga started, we saw improvements in the places that they were working. We also saw that people started talking about values and we were impressed. So the work that they are doing has had a good impact on education as a whole.\n\n\"Also the teachers ... have now become excited by the training. I think this is another key to the foundation's success.\"\n\n\"We really appreciate their help,\" said Mr. Bobbie. \"Morality has broken down so badly in Ghana. We had been looking for a way to salvage the situation for a while. Then the Olinga Foundation came with their books and values. We really like the moral education attached to the literacy campaign.\""}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497299-bwns8093-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Teacher Victoria Kwofie leads students in their work at the Anyinabrim primary school."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497298-bwns8092-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Students study \"Enlightening the Hearts\" materials at the Samreboi Catholic Junior Secondary School."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497299-bwns8091-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Remote rural schools, such as the Anyinabrim primary school here, are the focus of the project."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497298-bwns8094-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"This class at the Bremen Catholic Junior Secondary School is among those involved in the project, which improves literacy in both the local language and in English."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":590,"evergreenUrl":"ugandans-study-approaches-development","title":"Ugandans study approaches to development","description":"After five frustrating decades of stalled attempts at development, a group of Ugandans have come together to examine the experience in their...","date":"2007-11-30","customDateline":false,"city":"KAMPALA","country":"UGANDA","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497279-bwns8089-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_VideoRecord","videoUrl":"https://player.vimeo.com/video/199821053","videoStyle":"large-right","videoDescription":"Video: A new film discusses development in Urganda. Rebecca Kadaga, deputy speaker of Parliament, gives the keynote address at the film debut."}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"After five frustrating decades of stalled attempts at development, a group of Ugandans have come together to examine the experience in their country and search for effective approaches.\n\nA cross-section of community leaders, policy makers, and educators discuss their thinking in a new film, which was premiered in Kampala last month before an audience that included former Prime Minister Kinto Musoke and other dignitaries.\n\n\"Development has not fulfilled its promises,\" states businessman Gimoro Laker-Ojok at the beginning of the film, which is titled \"Opening a Space - The Discourse on Science, Religion and Development in Uganda.\"\n\n\"In the 1950s and '60s, the disparities between rich and poor in Uganda were not this marked,\" continues Daisy Namono of CELSOL Consulting Services. \"There is a need to look at what went wrong.\"\n\nFrom the Rev. Sam Ebukalin, who works with a program called Yiga Ng' Okola (Learn As You Work): \"Development has, for the past 50 years, missed its target. ... What is missing?\"\n\n\"We need to go back to the drawing board in some cases,\" says Elizabeth Kharono, program coordinator for Living Earth Uganda.\n\nProduced by the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, a nonprofit corporation associated with the Baha'i International Community, the film then develops the gist of the argument - that development programs have tended to view the poor as \"bundles of needs\" rather than as contributors to solutions.\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":1},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"They are looking at poor people as people who don't have anything to offer,\" states Basil Wanzira of the Poverty Alleviation Community Development Foundation.\n\n\"Opening a Space\" promotes the idea that people are not to be considered passive recipients of aid, rather they themselves should help formulate policy and bring about change. And they should do this using knowledge gained from both science and from religion.\n\n\"There is a need to have wider participation by the very people who will be affected by the policy,\" Dr. J.J. Otim, presidential adviser for agriculture, says in the film. \"We strongly now believe in Uganda, if there is any policy that the government wants to put in place, it must follow a participatory approach, ... it must not be designed in the offices.\"\n\nSeveral other key themes emerge in the film:\n\n-- Humans are spiritual beings, so for effective change to occur, spiritual realities should be considered alongside material well-being.\n\n-- Science and religion offer complementary systems of knowledge, both of which should be applied to the question of development.\n\n-- Not only do the poor need access to knowledge to address the many challenges they face, they themselves should help generate the knowledge that guides policy-making.\n\nThe debut of the film on 30 October 2007 drew more than a hundred people. In addition to the former prime minister, Sita Masamba, the director of UNAFRI, and John Mitala, head of the Ugandan civil service, were in attendance.\n\nRebecca Kadaga, the deputy speaker of  Parliament, gave the keynote address. She said the ideas were so compelling that she would arrange for all the members of Parliament to see the film.\n\n\"There was a lot of excitement around the possibilities this dialogue could offer,\" said George Olinga of the Ugandan Baha'i Office for External Affairs. \"This DVD has stimulated many ideas around new and different ways of thinking about development.\"\n\nDr. Haleh Arbab, director of the Institute for Studies in Global Prosperity, said Uganda now has four working groups who are discussing what development would look like if it were based on the concepts outlined in the film.\n\n\"We want people not to become consumers of packages offered by development organizations but to become creators, decision-makers,\" she said.\n\nThe institute she heads has promoted the discourse on science, religion, and development in several countries - notably India in addition to Uganda - as part of its mission to explore new concepts and models of social transformation."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543497279-bwns8089-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Former Ugandan Prime Minister Kinto Musoke participates in the discussion at the premiere of the new film."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":588,"evergreenUrl":"un-committee-approves-resolution-about-rights-violations-iran","title":"U.N. committee approves resolution about rights violations in Iran","description":"NEW YORK - A committee of the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution today expressing \"deep concern\" about \"ongoing systematic...","date":"2007-11-20","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1544534563-58800.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1544534563-58800.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A committee of the United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution today expressing \"deep concern\" about \"ongoing systematic violations of human rights\" in Iran.\n\nPut forward by Canada and co-sponsored by 41 other countries, the resolution took note of repression and persecution aimed by the Iranian government at groups ranging from women and women's rights defenders to the news media and labor groups, as well as various ethnic and religious minorities, including Iranian Baha'is.\n\nThe resolution passed the General Assembly's Third Committee by a vote of 72 to 50 with 55 abstentions on 20 November 2007. The vote essentially assures passage of the resolution in a final vote by the entire Assembly scheduled for December.\n\nIts passage followed a call by Iran for \"no action\" on the motion, a vote that itself failed by 78 to 79, with 24 abstentions. That vote, also taken today, was seen as an important test of the General Assembly's will to examine human rights issues in specific countries when warranted.\n\n\"We are pleased that the General Assembly did not shy away from its responsibility to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, as identified in the U.N. Charter,\" said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.\n\n\"Not only for Iranian Baha'is but for other persecuted groups and individuals in Iran, expressions of concern by the international community such as this remain the most important source of protection and encouragement.\n\n\"And it is especially important that Iran's efforts to sideline this kind of resolution through procedural maneuvering has failed again this year,\" said Ms. Dugal. \"The vote against the so-called 'no action' motion before passage of the resolution itself makes a powerful statement about the importance of country-specific resolutions such as this.\"\n\nA \"no action\" motion is a procedure that, if passed, will prevent member states at the United Nations from even debating a particular resolution. It is being increasingly used to allow countries to avoid having to give a yes-or-no vote on politically sensitive issues, such as human rights, and so to escape the scrutiny of the world at large, Ms. Dugal explained.\n\nThe resolution itself clearly describes a deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, expressing \"serious concern\" about \"confirmed instances\" of  \"torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including flogging and amputations\"; public executions, including stoning, and the \"[a] rrests, violent repression, and sentencing of women exercising their right to peaceful assembly, a campaign of intimidation against women's human rights defenders, and continuing discrimination against women and girls.\"\n\nThe resolution also notes \"increasing discrimination and other human rights violations against persons belonging to religious, ethnic, linguistic or other minorities\" including Arabs, Azeris, Baluchis, Kurds, Christians, Jews, Sufis and Sunni Muslims and Baha'is.\n\nRegarding Baha'is, the resolution notes particularly that there have been \"attacks on Baha'is and their faith in State-sponsored media, increasing evidence of efforts by the State to identify and monitor Baha'is and prevention of (Baha'is) from attending university and from sustaining themselves economically; an increase in cases of arbitrary arrest and detention.\"\n\nThe resolution also discusses \"ongoing, systemic and serious restrictions of freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and freedom of opinion and expression, including those imposed on the media and trade unions, and increasing harassment, intimidation and persecution of political opponents and human rights defenders, from all sectors of Iranian society, including arrests and violent repression of labour leaders, labour members peacefully assembling and students.\"\n\nFor more information, visit https://news.bahai.org"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedFieldHeaderRecord","relatedHeaderText":"Background"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[History of persecution of Baha'is in Iran – 1844 to present: A short summary](http://www.bahai.org/dir/worldwide/persecution)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Recent attacks against Baha'is in Iran: June 2007 update](http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran/update)","relatedLinkDescription":""},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_RelatedLinkRecord","relatedLinkText":"[Other BWNS articles about Iran](http://www.bahai.org/persecution/iran)","relatedLinkDescription":""}],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":587,"evergreenUrl":"human-rights-groups-issue-report-egypt","title":"Human rights groups issue report on Egypt","description":"Egypt should end discriminatory practices that prevent Baha'is and others from listing their true religion on government documents, said Human...","date":"2007-11-16","customDateline":null,"city":"NEW YORK","country":"UNITED STATES","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481592-bwns8084-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481592-bwns8084-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Egypt should end discriminatory practices that prevent Baha'is and others from listing their true religion on government documents, said Human Rights Watch and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights in a major report released this week.\n\nThe 98-page report, titled \"Prohibited Identities: State Interference with Religious Freedom,\" focused on problems that have emerged from Egypt's practice of requiring citizens to state their religious identity on government documents but then restricting the choice to Islam, Christianity, or Judaism.\n\n\"These policies and practices violate the right of many Egyptians to religious freedom,\" stated the report, which was released on 12 November 2007.\n\n\"Because having an ID card is essential in many areas of public life, the policies also effectively deny these citizens a wide range of civil and political as well as economic and social rights,\" the report said.\n\nThe Baha'i International Community welcomed the report.\n\n\"We want to thank Human Rights Watch and the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights for calling the world's attention to the human rights situation in Egypt,\" said Bani Dugal, the Baha'i International Community's principal representative to the United Nations.\n\n\"The discriminatory practices identified by the report do indeed gravely affect Egypt's Baha'i community, as well as others in Egypt who seek to enjoy the freedom to believe as they choose, a right that is guaranteed by international law.\n\n\"Our hope is that Egyptian authorities will now be encouraged to end their discriminatory practices, which could be dissolved with the stroke of a pen without harming the majority religious communities in the least,\" said Ms. Dugal.\n\nThe joint HRW/EIPR report examined in detail how the limited choice offered to citizens in declaring their religion affects the daily life of Baha'is and also of converts from Islam.\n\n\"While the Egyptian government's approach adversely affects anyone who is not Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, and anyone who would prefer to keep their convictions private, in Egypt today the greatest impact has been on adherents of the Baha'i faith and on persons who convert or wish to convert from Islam to Christianity,\" said the report.\n\nFurther, the report said, this \"limited choice is not based on any Egyptian law, but rather on the Ministry of Interior's interpretation of Shari'a, or Islamic law. An Egyptian citizen has no option to request a religious identification different from one of these, or to identify him or herself as having no religion. If he or she insists on doing so, authorities refuse to issue a national ID or related document reflecting the requested religious identification.\"\n\n\"People without national IDs forfeit, among other things, the ability to carry out even the simplest monetary transactions at banks and other financial institutions. Other basic daily activities – engaging in a property transaction, acquiring a driver's license, obtaining a pension check – also require a national ID.\n\n\"Employers, both public and private, by law cannot hire someone without an ID, and academic institutions require IDs for admission. Obtaining a marriage license or a passport requires a birth certificate; inheritance, pensions, and death benefits are contingent on death certificates. The Ministry of Health has even refused to provide immunizations to some Baha'i children because the Interior Ministry would not issue them birth certificates accurately listing their Baha'i religion,\" the report continued.\n\n\"These policies and practices violate Egyptian as well as international law,\" said the report.\n\nHuman Rights Watch, whose offices are in New York, states on its Web site that it is the largest human rights organization based in the United States. Its researchers investigate human rights abuses in all regions of the world.\n\nThe Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights is an independent Egyptian human rights organization that was established in 2002 to promote and defend individual rights and freedoms, according to its Web site. It is based in Cairo.\n\nThe report received considerable media attention after its release. The Associated Press, Agence France Presse, the BBC, Reuters, and the Voice of America all carried articles.\n\nTo read HRW's summary of the report, go to this link:\n\n[ http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/11/12/egypt17306.htm ]( http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/11/12/egypt17306.htm )"}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":586,"evergreenUrl":"photos-new-web-site-bring-into-focus-life-bahaullah","title":"Photos on new Web site bring into focus the life of Baha'u'llah","description":"A new Web site featuring photographs that help viewers experience the life of Baha'u'llah has been launched by the Baha'i International Community....","date":"2007-11-07","customDateline":null,"city":"HAIFA","country":"ISRAEL","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481581-bwns8083-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481581-bwns8083-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Pages that introduce the various sections of the Web site include maps to orient the reader.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"A new Web site featuring photographs that help viewers experience the life of Baha'u'llah has been launched by the Baha'i International Community.\n\nSome of the photographs have not been published before, and many of them have had only limited distribution.\n\nThe launch of the Web site comes just before the Baha'i holy day on 12 November that marks the anniversary of the birth of Baha'u'llah.\n\n\"The purpose of the Web site is to provide illustration of Baha'u'llah's life through photographs of places and artifacts and relics associated directly with Him,\" said Douglas Moore, director of the Office of Public Information of the Baha'i International Community.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"\"We've tried to bring together a unique collection of photos, many of them not generally available, so that you get a better sense of Baha'u'llah's life and the time period in which He lived,\" Mr. Moore said.\n\nRather than providing a comprehensive history or literary presentation of the Baha'i Faith, the new Web site aims rather to be impressionistic.\n\n\"It's more contemplative, more experiential,\" Mr. Moore said.\n\nThus it complements other Web sites that do provide a more complete description of the religion, he said.\n\nBaha'u'llah was a Persian nobleman who in the 19th century claimed to be nothing less than a new and independent Messenger from God, the one whose advent was anticipated by all the divine Messengers of the past - including Abraham, Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad - and foretold in the holy books.\n\nBaha'u'llah, who was born in 1817, was exiled from his native Tehran and banished to the Ottoman Empire - to Baghdad, Constantinople (now Istanbul), and finally Acre.\n\n\"The new Web site is appropriate for a range of audiences, not only Baha'is and those who have a deep interest in the Baha'i Faith, but also people who, from an academic or historical perspective, want to see what kind of photographic documentation exists for such a unique figure as Baha'u'llah,\" Mr. Moore said.\n\nHe noted that the Web site does not include a photograph of Baha'u'llah Himself. Such a photograph does exist, but it is treated with extreme reverence and viewed only in special circumstances; it is never published by Baha'is, nor would Baha'is reproduce it.\n\nThe photographs on the Web site are from the archives at the Baha'i World Center in Haifa.\n\nThe address of the site is [www.bahaullah.org](http://www.bahaullah.org)."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481581-bwns8082-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Historical photographs such as this one of Adrianople help viewers understand the world in which the revelation of Baha'u'llah unfolded."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481581-bwns8081-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"The home page of the new Web site, which includes 120 photographs of Baha'u'llah's native land, the cities of His exile, and places and relics related to His extraordinary life."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null},{"storyNumber":585,"evergreenUrl":"remote-bahai-school-adds-two-new-grades","title":"Remote Baha'i school adds two new grades","description":"In the remote village of Bunisi in Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea, the age you start school doesn't depend on how old you are – it depends...","date":"2007-10-31","customDateline":null,"city":"BUNISI","country":"Papua New Guinea","thumbnail":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481572-585008069-0.jpg"},"featureAudio":null,"feature":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ImageRecord","image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481572-585008069-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Residents and visitors join to celebrate the opening of new classrooms at a remote school operated by Baha'is in Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. The photo was taken from a helicopter that was bringing special guests to the event.","imageStyle":"body-right","imageLink":""}],"storyContent":[{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"In the remote village of Bunisi in Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea, the age you start school doesn't depend on how old you are – it depends on whether you can handle the hike to and from class.\n\nEach morning, children trek for two hours, walking 2,000 feet down the mountain to the Ikara Primary School. And each afternoon, they hike back up.\n\nNot easy for a 7-year-old.\n\n\"By the time the children get to school they are exhausted,\" said Jalal Mills, a Baha'i familiar with the educational system in Bunisi. \"Then they are expected to concentrate in class and learn.\"\n\nBut now the situation is changing, at least for the first and second graders. Last month, the Bunisi Elementary School, which until recently only served preschoolers, added new classrooms.\n\n"},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_InlineImageRecord","slideshowImageNumber":2},{"__typename":"DatoCMS_ParagraphRecord","paragraphText":"Operated by the Baha'i community of Bunisi, the school serves students in preschool and now grades one and two from nearly a dozen nearby villages, covering an area with a population of perhaps 1,000 people. The pupils come from different religious backgrounds.\n\n\"The people are happy that the Baha'is have helped build a school to provide education for the boys and girls of the area,\" said Kessia Ruh, who in September traveled by helicopter from Rabaul to attend the inauguration of the new classrooms.\n\nA Baha'i counselor, Ms. Ruh said the Baha'is themselves were eager to have outside visitors for the ceremony. \"They hadn't had visitors from outside the area, and they wanted other neighboring villages to know that the Baha'i friends from (other places) would come,\" she said.\n\nThe school was started in 1995 by local Baha'is, who were concerned about the lack of educational opportunities for their children. They began with a preschool and spent last year working to add the new classrooms. They hope to expand further, perhaps adding a grade each year. Some 50 Baha'is live in Bunisi, with another few hundred in the surrounding area.\n\nInstruction in the school is in the local language, Umaikana, because that is the norm in the country for the first three years of school. Students pay the equivalent of about US$3 a term and, because it is a government-registered school, public subsidies pay another US$99 per term for each child.\n\nThe school has three teachers, offering class for some 75 children in all. Two of the teachers are Baha'is, but most of the students are not. Religious instruction is limited to specified periods, and several religions are taught.\n\nEven for Papua New Guinea, Bunisi is remote. Located 4,600 feet above sea level near the Milne Bay area in the eastern part of the country, Bunisi doesn't appear on most maps – it is just one of many small villages that dot the area. The closest settlement with electricity and running water is Rabaraba, a coastal station reached by a two-day walk through the mountains.\n\nBunisi itself has no electricity, no running water and no telecommunication services. Most of the people are subsistence farmers.\n\nIn addition to Ms. Ruh, other guests of honor at the inauguration were Chief Sigeru Buapa of the Bunisi area and the headmaster of the Ikara Primary School, where older children from the area will continue to attend classes.\n\nAll the guests joined in singing and dancing with local residents and hundreds of other visitors from the area who had hiked to Bunisi to participate in the festivities.\n\nThe land for the school was donated by the chief.\n\n\"Before, I used this land to hunt cuscus, and now I give it for the future generations to hunt for education,\" he said at the inauguration ceremony for the new classrooms."}],"disableInlineCaptions":false,"slideshow":[{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481572-585018075-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"A festive meal – with a wild boar cooked outdoors – was part of the celebration for the new school buildings."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481572-585028071-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Map shows the location of Bunisi in Papua New Guinea and in the world."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481572-585038070-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Kessia Ruh, a Baha'i counselor invited as a special guest to the inauguration of new classrooms at Bunisi Elementary School in Papua New Guinea, cuts the ribbon at one of the new buildings."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481572-585048072-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Children of Bunisi and environs no longer have to walk two hours down a mountain to attend first and second grade. Older children continue to make the hike."},{"image":{"url":"https://www.datocms-assets.com/6348/1543481572-585058074-0.jpg"},"imageDescription":"Guests arriving at Bunisi by helicopter got an aerial view of the elementary school and its surroundings."}],"pushRelatedContentDown":null,"relatedContent":[],"updatedContent":false,"excludeFromHomepage":false,"category":[],"highlightClip":null}],"lang":"en","language":"en","location":"/archive/59/"}},"staticQueryHashes":["2762707590"]}